


Hermitbrine

by SyconSenti



Category: Hermitbrine au - Fandom, Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Gore, He's too shy to talk to people, Heavy Angst, Hermitcraft - Freeform, Herobrine is misunderstood, I don't even know where this story is going, I have no idea how to pace stories, Minecraft, but not evil and out to destroy everything, first fanfic i do not know what to tag as, hermitbrine au, just watches from a distance which freaks people out, still a little shit when it come to pranks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2020-11-26 19:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 42
Words: 138,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20935808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyconSenti/pseuds/SyconSenti
Summary: I actually started writing this fanfic about a week before it actually happened on the Hermitcraft server. Just a dumb idea - "Herobrine comes to Hermitcraft and nobody knows what to think."This is more of an idea of "what if Herobrine is more misunderstood than evil". Rumors got out of hand and the guy's taking the brunt of the abuse from it, including from the world itself whenever -Removed Herobrine gets added to the bottom of the update page. So in trying to run away from the things that are out to get him, he ends up in Hermitcraft and shenanigans ensue.





	1. Trespassing on Private Property

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which he has found a new home?

He had lost count of the number of days it had been since he had seen any sign of civilization. Ever since realizing he'd escaped the hellish landscapes of the far lands, he'd just been walking. The effects of the journey were pressing against him, and the deep wound on his side throbbed more and more every day as he walked, reminding him of his diminishing power. Once he would have shrugged off such an injury, now it was nearly crippling him.

Herobrine stopped and sank to the floor with his back against a spruce tree, and closed his pale eyes. He needed to rest, even if just for a short while, lest the phantoms appear again. Never for too long though; the hunters were hot on his trail, and some days he thought that he could hear their voices, the clatter of their wither-imbued weaponry, and the snorts and footfalls of their horses as they mercilessly pursued him. They had already inflicted the effects of a wither rose on him. Without medical help, the infection was spreading, sapping his strength. It was just a war of attrition now, and he didn't know how much longer he could last.

The wind rustled the needles over Herobrine's head, toying with his hair as he tried to catch his breath. Some gekkering from nearby caught his attention, and he looked over to see two foxes play fighting over a stick one of them was holding. _How cute_, he thought to himself, smiling slightly. He hadn't seen such creatures around before his most recent far land imprisonment. Now they seemed to be in every taiga biome he came across. Not that he was complaining. It indicated that he had crossed to a new world though, and with that came the inevitable hit that came every time he did such a thing.

**-removed Herobrine **

The air around Herobrine darkened, signalling the end of another day. It was lucky that most of the mobs that appeared during the night paid him no mind. He shakily got to his feet, leaning against the tree for support, and closed his eyes as stars started dancing before them. The foxes noticed the movement and scampered off into the forest. After steeling himself against the swimming of his vision for a moment, he set off again. No destination in mind. He just had to keep moving. Had to stay ahead of the hunters.

The darkness was no obstacle for him, as his glowing eyes could peer through the night like it was day. Thank goodness he hadn't lost that ability yet. It was due to this ability, and the full moon highlighting it from behind, that he spotted something through the canopy that looked like a huge, disjointed tower. Civilization maybe? Curious, and cautiously optimistic, he turned towards it. Going towards other people was a bad idea, considering what the last ones had done to him, but he needed to treat his injuries, and the only place he would find the resources to do so would be in a town of other humans.

He jumped and scrabbled his way to the top of a tree to get a better vantage point to look over the distant structures. They were huge, stretching to the sky, and each one had a different theme. One looked like a whole stack of wooden houses haphazardly nailed together, looking as it would topple at any moment. At the top, a huge red dragon statue was coiled around the towers. Yet, despite this, it was the most tame of the structures. The one next to it was constructed of quartz and concrete, and it was a lot shorter than the others. However, a massive flagpole jutted from the top of it, with a ragged white flag at the top that waved in the breeze. Next to that was a… a...

He frowned, trying to make sense of the nonsensical structure next to the flag. A house… inside a massive glass box full of water, supporting a tower that sported a huge magnet on it's roof which had a huge ball of endstone balanced precariously on top. That didn't prevent there being another building on top of that, and on top of that building was a… dabbing penguin.

He cringed, then snorted, chuckling at how absurd the entire building was. Across from the three towers was yet another structure. It looked like a huge plant wrapped around an upside down rocket of sorts. Above that, a massive venus flytrap was looming over the area, the fear factor somewhat diminished by the massive purple wizard hat it wore. And over it all, a cloud hung above the entire build, with a statue of a person with a cannon sat on top of it, surrounded by a castle. The entire scene was certainly an odd one, and too big to be built by anyone but those in creative mode.

Herobrine sighed. It was unlikely to find anything to help himself there, since creative mode people had nothing to worry about health wise, but it was better than turning around and suffering in the forest. He slid down the tree and continued on towards the distant builds.

The cold night bit straight through his ragged cyan shirt and into his gaunt frame. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, while staring skywards at the huge black shape in the air. He had taken a detour to avoid a flock of phantoms, and was now standing next to a wall underneath what looked like a massive dark boomerang. The wall stretched into the distance in two directions, and he wondered what it was there for. To keep something out? Or, more chillingly, to keep something _in_?

Herobrine shook his head to clear such thoughts from his mind. No matter what the fence was for, it wasn't doing that great of a job of either, as he found that he could slip easily through the bars. He glanced above him to the boomerang, spotting some smaller shapes that were circling it. One of them suddenly swooped down with a screech, making him cover his head in protection as the phantom sunk its teeth into his arm. He groaned and swatted at the undead creature, snapping its wing and causing it to fall to the floor. It hissed and snapped at him, but a quick hard stomp dissipated it into a cloud of smoke. Some more screeches signified the attack of two more phantoms, which were quickly dispatched with the same method. With the night terrors dealt with, Herobrine continued into the area, pushing through the thick treeline.

A series of runways presented themselves on the other side, some with aircraft sitting on them. Curiously, they seemed to be on fire, indicating that a likely griefer inhabited the area. He looked around, searching for any sign of other people, but the place seemed deserted except for the nighttime mobs. Still on guard, he crossed out into the open, stepping onto the runway while a small tangle of creepers watched him pass. Another phantom suddenly grazed over the top of his head, making him jump. The creature stopped and turned around, flying towards him with its teeth bared. Herobrine responded simply by pointing a finger at the phantom and summoning a small flame from the end of it. The flare caught the dry membrane of its wings and the entire creature quickly burst into flames. It rose back into the air, flapping around in a futile attempt to extinguish the fire, but soon it had dissolved into a puff of smoke.

He glanced around again, worried that the flaming phantom had revealed his position to someone. Luckily, only mobs were present, some of the smarter ones deciding to stay back from the person who had incinerated one of their brethren. He could have sworn he saw a creeper with one red eye though…

When he looked back, it was nowhere to be seen.

He swallowed nervously, his mouth feeling drier than it did before, and continued onto the second runway, looking over at some open hangers. Herobrine paused, looking at the enticing glow that emanated from in the large buildings. He shouldn’t, this place felt dangerous. But curiosity got the better of him. He went over and peered inside. The first two hangers were empty, but the third, which had a barrier blocking the door, contained three cages; two filled with Villagers, and a third containing a zombie suspended in between them. Below the zombie, a complicated mass of redstone circuits hung in the air, and below it all, in a huge pit, iron golems and skeleton battled together in a field of black flowers.

Herobrine covered his mouth in shock. _Poor Villagers_… He turned to leave, but felt himself pulled back to the plight of the trapped Villagers. He couldn't just leave them in there… Before he knew what he was doing, he had gathered a bunch of dirt and built an unstable bridge over to the first cage. The Villagers inside gave him a pleading glance.

“Help us?”

“Shh, I am!” He smacked at the wall of the cage, and after a while it broke. One of the Villagers made a happy noise as he backed away, and they climbed out. He stood aside as they clambered across the bridge, helping each other off. As they were doing so, he built another bridge to the other cage, repeating the process. Soon all the Villagers were freed, milling about and taking peeks out of the door.

“There’s Zombies outside though, we can't go out…” Herobrine nodded in understanding. The undead had a taste for Villager. Something brushed against his leg, and he looked down to see a fox peering up at him. He gulped. A guard dog? The fox luckily seemed to not be aggressive, only sniffing at his shoes, then turning to sniff a Villager. He turned back to the door of the hanger, poking his head out to look at the position of the moon in the sky. It was approaching the horizon, so morning would soon break. Behind him, the Villagers had clustered together in a corner for safety, one of them petting another fox that had wandered over to them. He climbed over the barrier and noticed a sign on the outside.

“Not a Scar safe farm”

So this was a _farm_. He’d seen such a thing before, creatures and blocks placed in such ways that would magically produce resources. Terrible for everyone involved except those who had built it. Herobrine shuddered, wondering just how long the Villagers had been trapped in that place.

A pale pink light broke over the treeline, signalling the coming day. He turned around, and whacked a zombie that was ambling over to the door, having been attracted by the smell of tasty Villager inside. It fell over, and he stomped down hard on it’s head to kill it. The corpse disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a small pile of rotting flesh, which he kicked away with a grimace. One of the Villagers was peeping out, watching for burning zombies to figure out whether it was safe to leave. He turned away from them and went out onto the runway, welcoming the warmth of the sun on his skin. Time to keep on going to the towers. However, a long turquoise pole suddenly buried itself into the ground beside him, making him jump away in surprise. A deep growly voice rang out through the air.

**“FREEZE!” **

He did.

“Keralis, man, how many times do we have to tel-”

Then he didn’t.

Herobrine took off, sprinting towards the trees. The wound in his side burned with agony, but he paid it no mind. Behind him, there was some yelling, and he could make out the word “aliens”, but soon he had disappeared into the trees. How stupid of him, thinking he was far enough ahead of the hunters to stop even for a single night. He kept going until he stumbled over a tripwire. There was the noise of some noteblocks nearby as he fell flat on his face. He lay there, trying to catch his breath, his entire body screaming in agony at the sudden exertion. The respite would not last long though, as a small snap of a twig sent him off running again.

The next thing Herobrine stumbled over was the base of the perimeter fence as he slipped through and out into the area beyond. On the other side of the fence, someone had constructed a nice modern styled town. Normally he'd hover around and admire the architecture, but the threat of imminent danger filled his mind with other ideas. He would be able to hide in one of the buildings until he was recovered, and hopefully not be found and slaughtered as he did so. Opening a door, Herobrine slinked inside, making sure to close it behind him. He went through into a room and sat down, his back rested against the wall. His shirt felt sticky and clung to his chest, both from sweat and... he looked down to see the new spreading red soaking through it. Ugh…

He must have closed his eyes to wait for his heart to stop beating so fast, as he soon felt himself dozing off. Luckily he managed to knock himself conscious again when his body slumped over onto the floor. Some time had passed though; The sun streaming through the window had shifted, and one of his legs was bathed in sunlight. He blinked the tiredness out of his eyes as best as be could and pulled himself to his feet, then stepped back outside.

All was silent, the streets deserted. With the threat of the hunters dispersed for now, Herobrine opted to just wander around, taking in the sights of the area before moving on towards his destination. A few checks inside of various building revealed nothing that could help him, as he expected. His wanderings eventually took him out of the town, and he found himself standing under a large sign over the path that read “Hermitland” He went through the sign and took a look around the various contraptions. A lot of them seemed to look like minigames. There was a fenced off area with “DSD” built in big letters over the entrance, a huge turquoise pole, similar looking to the one that was thrown at him earlier, what looked to be an entire other town, two huge red and blue builds with various heads stuck to the walls and “guess what” printed on the side, a huge blimp with a red arrow pointing to the carriage that hung underneath it, and some smaller buildings that piqued his interest.

He went over to investigate them. They looked to be shops, one stocking many redstone components, another stocking ice, and the last one had boxes full of golden carrots. The sudden presence of food right in front of him made Herobrine suddenly hyper aware of the hollow void he felt inside his stomach. It must have been days since he last ate anything, maybe even weeks. He wrapped his arms around his midsection and groaned slightly, reading the signs on the wall.

“Welcome to Sahara Eats, An Architech Company”

“2 stacks of Golden Carrots for 1 Diamond”

Ah great… He had no diamonds… but no one would notice a single stack missing would they? No one other than his own empty stomach. He looked around, just to make sure nobody else was about, then pulled a bunch of the golden vegetables out of the box. He chomped down a few of them ravenously while slinking away from the theme park, ducking into the trees the first chance he got.

When he finally got to the towers he had seen, it was getting dark. They were just as impressive up close as they were from the top of the tree far away. He approached the stacked wooden houses, eyeing the mess of chests and shulker boxes laying out the front. A strange sight right outside a creative build; maybe the builder wasn't in creative mode after all. Either that or the person who built such a thing was rather disorganized, a style that was also reflected in the tower that stood behind the mess. However, such chaos may be to Herobrine's advantage, since a lack of clearing inventories may have left some healing items in various places. He went over and started opening each box with a small well of hope inside him, glancing inside for any bottles of potions or even ingredients to make one. However, that hope stamped out after ten minutes of searching through box after box, and he concluded there was nothing of any use in any of the boxes.

Defeated, he sat down on a shulker with a sigh. It was getting late, and he needed rest badly. His eyes strayed skywards, looking at the various rooms and towers of the huge structure that loomed over him. Bingo. A safe spot to hide and spend the night. No hunter should find him there. He turned around and spied a lot of wool scattered around the nonsensical structure, some of it floating with a string attached to the bottom. He went over and jumped, grabbing a wool out of the air and pulling it down. There was a crudely written label on it that spelled out "Wooloon". Herobrine raised an eyebrow. Wool… balloon? Whatever. He ran around and grabbed a whole bunch of wool from the random “Wooloons”, then started climbing the massive tower.

After a few storeys, the wound on his side started weeping yet again. He stopped, clenching his eyes shut and his teeth together, waiting for the pain to subside, before continuing his ascent. Finally he reached a box that was tucked away in between some towers, and thumped on the wood wall with his fist. The planks soon gave away under the abuse and he crawled inside, laying the wool down on the floor and curling into a ball, making sure to bundle himself in it as best as he could. Perhaps it was the relative safety of his shelter, or maybe the fact he had a full stomach for once, but he soon found himself drifting off many times easier than he had in the past. It wasn't long until he was in a deep, dreamless sleep.


	2. Discovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the first sighting has happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reading all your comments made me so happy, I was worried no one would like what I wrote but the response is much better than I'd ever hoped for. Thank you all for the comments <3

Grian was very confused. He watched the bundled figure in front of him sleep, seeing the woolen blankets slowly rise and fall with every breath they took. He'd spotted this guy checking out Stress's ice shop when he went to check the profits of DSD, but noticed that it was not anyone he knew. Sure, both Joe and Keralis both had a look very similar to the default one this person had, but the lack of an @ insignia on his shirt and any exceedingly large eyes had given away the fact that this was a stranger. 

A stranger who had stolen from one of the Architech's shops, gone through his mess of a storage, broken into his house on sahara street and was now fast asleep in it. Grian had originally planned to bust in and give the newcomer a warning about such behaviour, but upon seeing how cozy he looked, found he couldn't find it in himself to disturb him. The guy looked exhausted and in need of a good night's sleep. So now Grian was sat in a room of his crazy build battle house, with a complete stranger, watching them sleep. He shrugged to himself and got to his feet, and jumped out of the hole in the wall. The elytra on his shoulders opened, and he expertly lit a firework, zooming off back to the hippie commune. He could come back and check on his unexpected house guest in a few hours.

At the encampment, things got weirder. Grian found Ren trying to wrangle two random Villagers.

"Where'd these guys come from?" He asked, landing heavily beside Ren

"I don't know, dude!" Ren looked away from the Villagers for a second, only to turn back and find them running back into the camper van belonging to his hippie alter-ego. "I was just chilling here and these two came running out of the trees and started trying to get into Renbob's van!" Grain scratched his head while watching the panicking large-nosed people.

"Looks to me like they're trying to hide from something." He said, opening the camper van door much to Ren's dismay. They piled inside, instantly running to the bathroom at the back and cowering there. The hermits followed them, looking down at them while trying to figure out their strange behaviour. An evil grin suddenly split across Ren’s face, and he nudged Grian and pointed to the button on the wall.

"Dude, you should totally flush it down there." Grian cackled at the other's idea, and hit the button without hesitation. The Villager vanished down the hole with a surprised noise, while the other peered down to see what the fate of his friend was. Upon seeing that they had landed safely in a water stream, it hopped down with them, much to the surprise of the two hermits watching. 

"I guess we got underground… hippie Villagers?" Ren chuckled at the thought. 

“There isn’t any harm in letting them stay down there. Maybe they could help with digging the tunnel into area 77. Can they use pickaxes?” Grian pondered. He shook his head.

"Anyway, strange villagers aside, Ren, do you know of anyone with a default skin? Other than Keralis and Joe." Ren frowned.

“No? Why’d you ask?” Ren had barely got the question out before Grian was turning away, motioning with his head to follow him. He opened the van door and jumped out, taking off before his feet hit the ground, and zooming into the air almost vertically. Ren blinked, then took out his own rockets to follow.

The wind whistled past his face, making him glad of the sunglasses he was wearing that protected his eyes from the air. The distant speck that was Grian was circling around the massive tower of houses that he’d built during the hermitville build battle. Ren watched the speck float down and land in front of the amalgam house, in amongst the usual mess of shulker boxes, and he swooped down to land on the edge of the cluster. Grian was checking through the boxes systematically with a worried look.

“I don’t think he took anything…”

“Who took something?” Ren asked.

“I don’t know! I saw him at the mini shops in Hermitland and he stole some of the carrots from Sahara Eats, then ran away. Then I saw him rummaging through these boxes like he was looking for something.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know!” Grian repeated, closing the lid of a box. “I don't recognize him. Someone with a steve skin. He’s…” He turned and pointed skywards to somewhere on his house.

“He’s in your house?”

“Yes!” He jumped and took off again, landing on a roof around a third of the way up the towers. Ren followed less gracefully, but managed to keep his footing as he thumped down next to Grian. He noticed that the wall had a small hole in it, and squeezed inside. Behind him, a few shuffles were heard as Grian followed him, but he was more focused on the pile of wool tucked in the corner of the room. Sure enough, someone with a face that definitely resembled a Steve was fast asleep in the pile. 

“Who is…” Ren cut the question short, already knowing the answer. He thought some things over, then began to list out what Grian had told him.

“So let me get this straight, this guy... He stole some carrots out of Sahara Eats…”

“Uhu, and scarpered into the forest.” Grian replied.

“Yeah, then you found him rummaging through your stuff…”

“Yeeup.”

“Then he just climbed up here and fell asleep…”

Both of the Hermits looked down at the sleeping figure on his makeshift bed of wooloons.

“This might not be good… none of the Hermits act like this. You gonna tell X?”

“When he wakes up.” Grian kneeled down, inspecting the peaceful face of the stranger.

“Dude, you gotta tell him now. We don’t know this person, or how he even got into this place. And he stole from your shop and maybe your storage.” Ren fished his communicator out of his pocket, but Grian grabbed his wrist.

“Not now, look at him! He looks so cute and comfy! I mean - uh, at least let him sleep first he looked exhausted!”

“Grian-” Ren looked down at the other Hermit, who was giving him puppydog eyes. Ugh.. can't say no to that

“Fine… but as soon as he’s awake you gotta tell me.” Grian smiled and jumped to his feet.

“Thanks Ren!” Ren rolled his eyes and leapt out of the hole in the wall, leaving Grian and the stranger alone. He turned back and sat down, leaning against the wall, and his eyes drifted over to them, a hundred questions filling his mind.

“Who… are you?”

Herobrine shifted and stretched a leg, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. For once, he felt well rested, indicating that he had not been awoken by anything. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, then opened them. Another face was staring down at him with dark, inquisitive eyes. He stared back for a moment, then shot upright, scrambling backwards from the other person until his back was pressed firmly against the wall. Stupid, stupid! Of course he'd be found! Although… this didn't look like a hunter. Quite the opposite actually. Instead of the rugged, scarred metal plating that covered the bodies of those who pursued him, smooth, bright blue diamond armour encased this person’s body, except for the chest, which exposed a dark red sweater with a necklace of rainbow-coloured beads hanging in front of it. Underneath the helmet was an unblemished face with a roundness that betrayed the youth of the stranger, as well as a few flowers tangled in his hair. The person's eyes broke away from his own and glanced down at the huge bloodstain on his shirt, and his expression morphed into one of horror.

“Oh.. oh no you’re really hurt!” He pulled a small device out of his pocket and started tapping on it. Herobrine looked around frantically, trying to figure a way out of the situation. The hole he had made in the side was blocked by the other person, but the window…

Without even thinking about it, he threw himself out of the window.

The wind whistled past his ears as Herobrine braced himself for the impact. There was a sickening thud as his body slammed into the ground. He lay there for a few seconds, winded, before painfully dragging himself to his feet and setting off for the treeline. His legs groaned in agony, and he found himself quickly regretting the snap escape decision. At least he got awa- The sound of fireworks burst through the air, and suddenly, the person from the tower landed in front of him.

Grian had decided to sit down and wait for his houseguest to awaken after a few hours had passed. He’d been preparing himself for a long wait when the sleeping stranger suddenly stirred. He shifted onto his back and stretched, and then rubbed his eyes. Grian found himself leaning closer, and was about to pull away when the stranger opened his eyes.

They were pure white. Grian found himself unable to move, just staring into them. A herobrine skin? It wasn’t anything unusual, plenty of people were fans of the legend. Only problem was, no one in the community _ had _ such a skin. He was about to ask who the stranger was before they suddenly scrambled backwards, away from him. The wooloons that were covering his body fell away, revealing a huge dark red stain on this shirt. The fresher red patches, coupled with a similar stain on the wool, indicated that the stain was not just a design choice. Grian felt his face drop.

“Oh… Oh no You’re really hurt!” He tugged the communicator out of his pocket and opened the chat to inform Ren.

**<Grian> hes awake.**

**<Renthedog> Omw**

**<Grian> hes badly hurt though. please hurry**

**<Iskall85> who’s awake?**

**<Renthedog> Should I bring potions?**

Grian was about to answer when the sudden smashing of glass tore his attention away from the communicator. He only just caught the sight of a cyan blur before it vanished. He dropped the device and ran to the window, and looked out to see the figure sprawled on the ground below. He sighed and grabbed the communicator again.

**<Grian> nvm he just jumped out of the window. hed be dead by now…**

**<Renthedog> should I come anyway?**

Grian looked back down to the body on the ground, only to find it gone. His eyes caught some movement, and he spotted the figure sprinting into the treeline. What on earth-??

**<Grian> YES he’s alive! And running! I’ll go after him!**

**<Renthedog> Wth? How?**

Grian had no answer to that. He pocketed the communicator and leapt out of the window after the runaway stranger. His elytra opened and caught the air, and a fire of a rocket sent him soaring after them. He soon caught sight of the bright cyan shirt through the trees, and angled himself to shoot over and then land right in front of the person. His feet thudded against the ground with a lot more force than he’s liked, but he kept his footing. The stranger skidded to a stop, having been given a fright by Grian’s sudden appearance. In that moment, thought, Grian had only one question on his mind.

“How on earth did you survive that fall?” The wings on the stranger's shoulders folded closed. Herobrine jumped back, startled. These guys have wings? His legs could not handle the sudden movement, and he fell backwards, hitting the back of his head against a tree. Hard. An empathetic “ouuh..” was heard as his vision swam. He groaned and placed a hand against his forehead, and squeezed his eyes shut.

“You okay?” There was a rustle, and he felt the presence of the other person crouched down beside him. He held his breath, just waiting for the diamond sword to be lodged through his chest.

It never came?

He opened his eyes again to see the other person looking at him with concern in their eyes. Was he not going to hunt him, like everyone else does? Herobrine pushed himself into a sitting position, and felt the back of his head. It was sticky, and his hand came away with red on it.

“Ouuh.. that’s not good… Nothing about your condition is good… what on earth happened to you?” 

He looked the other person in the eye, trying to find any glint of hidden malice. There was none, just genuine concern. Breaking away from the gaze of the other, he looked down at his stained shirt. The other’s eyes followed his, and he grabbed the hem of it and lifted slightly. The feeling of the fabric being ripped off the raw flesh made him hiss in pain, and he dropped it. The stranger’s forehead creased in worry. He held his hand out, as if offering it to help him stand, but Herobrine gave the stranger a distrustful glare, and he dropped his hand with a slightly disappointed look on his face. There was a moment of silence before the stranger broke it again.

“I’m Grian, by the way! Who.. Who might you be?” Herobrine stared at Grian, not answering. He knew that the overly friendly demeanour would be dropped as soon as his identity was revealed; It always happens. Grian tilted his head to one side.

“Not a talker? Okay.” Herobrine scooted backwards until his back was firmly against the tree. He realized that his breathing had quickened and tried to force himself to breathe slower.

This had the opposite of the desired outcome though; Grian noticed and frowned slightly.

“Hey now… no need to be scared. I won’t hurt you!” He shuffled slightly closer to Herobrine, who tried to back into the tree further. Inside himself, he felt a strange yet somewhat familiar energy gathering. Purple sparks danced across his vision, and he closed his eyes. Suddenly, the world around him seemed to disappear. He gasped and threw his arms out, trying to grab onto something. His hands flailed through empty air, and he kicked out in panic. Then, he slammed onto the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He lay there with his eyes squeezed shut, gasping for air. The sound of the wind through the trees had disappeared, instead replaced with deafening silence and a high pitched squeak from a bat. Herobrine opened his eyes to sudden darkness, and he blinked as his vision adjusted to the low light level, revealing he was in some sort of cave. He looked down at himself, confused. Had he just… teleported? That ability was removed from him ages ago! He pinched himself on his wounded side just to make sure he was really awake, and a spike of pain shot through his body. Yep, he had just teleported. He lay back down, staring at the cave ceiling, while his mind was working at a million miles an hour to try and sort through the waves of thoughts he was having.

_ Hadn’t he been stripped of this power? He was sure of it, he’d lost the ability ages ago when crossing to a new land. But now he could do it again? Was he regaining power? Was it a side effect of the time he’s had to recover a bit? Had he never lost it in the first place, just become too weak to use it? Maybe he- _

Herobrine had lost track of time. He blinked, feeling just how dry his eyes had gotten, and rubbed them, then pushed himself into a sitting position. The bat squeaked indignantly at him and fluttered off deeper into the cave, brushing past a skeleton that was sitting on the floor inspecting it’s bow. It looked over at Herobrine, then turned away, disinterested. Herobrine got to his feet and took out a golden carrot, then started off down the cave. Approached a fork in the cave, and stood there while thoughtfully munching on the carrot, trying to decide which way to go. He eventually chose the left path, hoping that it slight upwards tilt it had would lead him to the surface.

He wasn't exactly correct, but the cave came to a dead end when the walls had all turned to dirt, so he was able to dig his way out with relative ease. When he broke through, the cool air of the night seeped in, giving him an indication of just how long he’d been underground. He turned to look at the huge towers behind him, wondering where the people that had pursued him have gone. No matter what, he couldn't stay here. But he didn't feel like going back out into the wilderness either…

Against his better judgement, Herobrine found himself walking back into the village. He ducked behind the wall of a large fort as he watched a blond haired girl bounce through the streets. She stopped, and turned towards him, almost as if she had felt his gaze on her back. He quickly took cover behind another house, just before she appeared around the corner of the fort the corner in an attempt to find him. She pulled a diamond sword out and looked around, then sheathed it again when she saw nothing out of the ordinary in the area. Then, she continued her way through the village, seemingly a little spooked, and disappeared into a large tower. Herobrine watched her appear at the top and step into a nether portal, and she had soon vanished. The portal held his attention though. It looked as if he'd found his ticket out of the area.

He sat down, not wanting to run into the girl on the other side. Her reaction to his presence was worrying, and the blade of a diamond sword was not a feeling he'd miss any time soon. Some voices caught his attention, and he peered out through the tall grasses that surrounded him to find the source. It was the person - Grian - from earlier, along with two others. One was wearing a bright red shirt with suspenders, and a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. The other had a black shirt with a grey creeper insignia on the front, somewhat covered in a waistcoat. Much like Grian, he also wore a few flowers knotted together in his hair. The three seemed to be discussing something about a countdown. As Herobrine sat back, he saw the blond girl appear again. She greeted the three men as she passed, before continuing on to whatever her task was elsewhere. They returned the greeting.

"Hey guys!"

"Sup False!"

The simple show of casual companionship triggered a wave of deep loneliness inside Herobrine. He wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his face in them, trying to ignore the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes. He'd never experience something like that. It was almost like a curse of his, borne of bad judgement, rumours and misunderstanding. Now he was known as a vessel of evil, only wanting to destroy everything, and with many sworn enemies that were out for his blood. When in reality the evil demon they were chasing was just someone who was just too damn shy to introduce himself to others, instead opting to stand off to the side and observe from a distance. A creepy habit, but one he had a hard time breaking. The often-correct expectation of everyone to try and kill him on sight wasn't helpful either. He lifted his head, noticing the wet patches that had formed on his jeans, and wiped his eyes. No use crying about it, it was just reality.

The trio had long since gone, leaving the coast clear for Herobrine to slip unnoticed into the portal. He checked around for any signs of anyone else, before crossing the street and going into the tower, climbing his way to the top and pausing before the portal. The purple particles emitted from the obsidian frame clung to his shirt. He shuddered, wondering just what hellscape awaited him on the other side. Despite what his reputation might say, he'd never been a fan of the nether. Then again, no one was, meaning very few people went to the place. A perfect hiding spot from those out to get him. Herobrine took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stepped into the portal.

\--

Grian stared at the tree that the man had just been sitting under, utterly dumbfounded. There was nothing there now but a bunch of purple dissipating particles. He let one land on his hand, staring at it as it faded. It definitely resembled the teleportation that endermen were capable of, but he’s never seen a _ Human _ pull it off without an enderpearl. Maybe the stranger had thrown one without him noticing? Some fireworks sounded, and Ren suddenly landed beside him.

“Where’s the guy?”

“He…” Grian paused, unsure how to explain the situation. “He was.. just... right here… yet just... teleported? Like.. like an enderman does?” He looked down at his hands. “I hadn’t seen him throw an enderpearl though. There one moment, gone the next. I... wha... ”

“Well, no point sitting there my dude, we gotta find him!” Ren leapt back into the air, leaving Grian kneeling on the grass. He shook his head, then followed the other hermit, and was soon circling the area looking for any sign of the missing person. After ten minutes had passed, both of them concluded that whoever it was, they must have slipped away by then. Grian landed next to Ren, who was checking out the condition of his elytra.

“I’m worried about him… he seemed like he was hurt super badly. And seemed terrified of me?” He turned to the other as he slipped his elytra back on. “What could have happened to him?”

“Dun ask me, I’ve got enough mysteries with the Villagers you flushed yesterday… Doc came by earlier, asking about some “Aliens”. Not sure what that was about.” He shrugged. “But those two are acting super weird. Like, they made some weird shrine earlier…” Grian raised an eyebrow.

“Area 77 seems to be leaking out despite their best efforts I guess?” They both shared a small chuckle.

“But seriously, I gotta see this. Had no idea Villagers could actually _ make _ something.” 

The two hermits took off into the air, speeding their way back towards the hippie encampment. 

When they landed, they spotted Impulse, who was looking over a bunch of blueprints and scratching his head. He stood up to greet them as they approached him.

“Heya! Just figuring out some plans for the thing you have going on over there.” He pointed over to the mess of redstone farms Grian had constructed. “I have a few ideas.”

“Hey Impulse, want to see something really weird?” Ren asked out of the blue. Impulse raised an eyebrow at the question.

“Sure! I could use a short break.” 

“Follow me then, my dude!” He turned and ran into Renbob’s camper van. Grian and Impulse followed behind, taking their turns to flush themselves down the toilet after Ren. They found him waiting beside one of the diggers, and he pointed behind it.

“Take a look at what the villagers made!” The peered around the digger to see what Ren was pointing at.

“The villagers made this?” Impulse asked, looking at the small shrine like thing that the two flushed Villagers had dug into the wall of the hippie cave. They were sat in the dugout, passing a small figurine between them and making Villager sounds at each other as if they were deep in conversation. It was no use trying to understand what they were saying, so the three Hippies could only guess as to what they were talking about.

“They’re very protective of it. I tried placing a block there and they just stood in the way and stared at me.” Ren mused. He scratched at his beard. “I tried to look at the thing they have but they’re protective of that too.”

“Why not just kill them to get it?” Impulse suggested. The Villagers stared at Impulse, then looked at each other concernedly.

“I don't think they like that idea… How about instead...” Grian placed down an ender chest and dived in, pulling out a shulker box and placing that down before finally pulling out what he had been after: a handful of emeralds. He held one out to the Villagers, who squinted and made a disagreeing sound. At that, he added more emeralds, until it was at a full stack, then gave up.

“Come on guys, we just want to look at it!” The Villager blinked, then slowly held it out in front of them to show the figure off. Impulse re sheathed his sword and pretended like he was not just about to use it on them. All three leaned in closer to take a look at it. It resembled a crudely carved human, with some pieces of diorite stuck in the head where eyes were. Grian leaned back, connecting a few dots in his head, while Ren and Impulse just looked on in confusion. 

“That… is that a lil Herobrine figure? After what I saw in my…” He leaned his face in his hands, covering his mouth a bit to stop himself from thinking out loud. The mention of Herobrine had reminded Ren of something.

“Hey dude, have you told X about the weird teleporty dude yet?” Grian’s head snapped up.

“Oh, no I totally forgot!” He jumped to his feet and ran to the exit, taking off into the air as soon as he was free of the underground area. Impulse watched him go, frowning.

“Teleporty dude? What do you mean?” 

“Yeah, some things happened earlier… so what happened was…..”

Grian flew over hermitland, searching for any sign of a certain admin. He spotted the green armour, jumping around his undying mini game as he said he'd be, and banked to one side to swoop down and land near the other hermit. They started, and turned to look at Grian.

"Ah, Jee-arr-ee-an! Hello! What brings you here?"

"Ex-eye-zooooooomah!" Grian grinned back at the armoured hermit. "I uh, have a few questions?"

"Fire away, my friend!" X smiled, the expression mostly hidden under the helmet, except where it reached his eyes.

"Have you… uh… invited anyone new to join recently?" The smile vanished, to be replaced by a frown.

"Not since you, Grian. Why do you ask?" 

"I… found someone I didn't recognize. Thought you might like to know about it."

"Are you sure it wasn't Keralis? Or Bdubs?"

"Yes! They had a Herobrine skin. And were acting super weird, like, really afraid of me." 

"So not another hermit? One wearing a disguise or something?"

"No! He stole some carrots from the Architech's shop, and looked like he was terribly hurt from something…" X's frown deepened. None of the hermits stole things from shops. Not without any sort of motive that the shop owner was aware of. And injuries didn't last long; they were either healed quickly or the hermit died and respawned to get rid of it. If a Hermit ever had trouble, they would ask the others for help. The worried look on Grian's face told X this was not the case for the person he'd seen.

He pulled out his communicator, and typed in the pass code to gain access to the admin controls. An unknown person being around was worrying, as it meant the place was not as secure as he'd first thought. Grian watched as X typed in some commands, and produced a list of the hermits. Sure enough, at the bottom, an out of place name was present. However, it was a garbled mess of shifting characters. Grian noticed that the admin had gone still.

"X? What is going on?"

"I… don't know… where is this person now?"

Grian shrugged. 

"He teleported away from me. Me and Ren tried to find him but he was gone." 

X turned to look Grian in the eye. 

"Teleported?"

"Yeah... Like... Like an enderman. Purple particles and vwoop noise and everything."

X started typing on the communicator. 

"Did you notice anything else weird about him?"

Grian thought for a moment, then remembered the other weird thing the stranger had done.

"Well, he jumped out of the window of a room that was like fifty meters off the ground, and landed unharmed?"

"So he could be in creative mode?" Grian gulped. The entire situation was seemingly becoming more serious by the second.

"D...doesn't explain the injury. That seemed real…" 

He should have listened to Ren and told X the first moment he saw the stranger... Both of their communicators beeped, signalling a message. Grian took his out to check, then froze.

"X... Y-you should see this!"

**Cubfan135 was fireballed by !͉-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗**


	3. Accidentally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a spoon acts like a spoon and meets a spoon who acts like a spoon.

Herobrine stared down at the mess of items on the floor. Oh no nonono he hadn't- He hadn't meant to- he stepped back, suddenly feeling sick. The flames that were licking around his hands died out with a puff of smoke. Great. Two days into meeting new people and he'd already murdered someone.

He had been making his way along the impossibly long tunnel he'd found on the other side of the nether portal. It was a slight shock to find wood, glass and ice in the place of the usual hellscape. These players: he could only assume these were 'players' rather than normal humans, used the portals for transportation, a technique he'd only seen a few times in the past as most were not brave enough to endure literal hell for faster travel, much less construct a system to travel safely. The ambient heat of the nether was counteracted by the ice that lined the middle of the hallway, which gave off an unwavering chill. He'd set off down the hallway, and had been walking for an unknown amount of time when suddenly something sped past him. He jumped and turned around, ready to defend himself. The blur also stopped, revealing itself to be another person in a boat. They turned around and slid back towards him.

"Howdy there!" The other person was bald with a grey beard, and was wearing a labcoat. He stepped out of the boat, and looked over Herobrine.

"I don't think I've seen you around before?" The other approached him, and he shrunk back. Something about this person… it just didn't seem _ right. _ He clenched his fists, and felt a small flame lick around his hand. The other took a few steps back, staring. Oops, he had not meant to do that. He opened his fists, hoping the flames would dissipate, then looked between them in rising panic when they did not. Herobrine felt his breathing quicken as he desperately slapped his hands against his legs to try and put out the fire. It finally fizzled out, but by then it was too late. The other person was quizzically staring at Herobrine's fists. Then, they pulled out a sword.

"Who...no.. _ What _are you??" The man's to e had gone quiet and coldly curious. At the sight of the sharp blue blade, a blind panic gripped Herobrine. He screamed, and flames erupted from his hands. They hit the other person before they even had time to react. Then he was gone. Herobrine stood there, shaking, staring at the mess that was left behind. 

Not wanting to be present at the scene any longer, he had ran. His chest burnt with the exertion, and his legs felt like they would collapse at any moment, but he kept going. He must have had his eyes closed, as it came as a shock when the floor suddenly vanished from under his feet. Herobrine yelled out in surprise as he dropped, and landed heavily on a glass floor, and several cracks radiated underneath him. Falling seemed to be a recurring theme with his life…

He groaned and sat up, and looked around as he rubbed his shoulder. The room around him had black walls, and scattered portals all over the place. His sight drifted downwards, and he noticed the green and blue blocks under the glass, making the entire floor look like a map. The portals sat at random locations on said map, mostly likely correlating to their respective portals in the overworld. Herobrine went over to a portal with some white pillars built around it, then climbed the pillars to get a better vantage point. The map depicted an island, one with a huge lake in the middle. He sat down on the pillar and kicked his legs a bit, admiring the view. The place looked like a nether hub, and an extremely impressive one at that. The thought of having a smaller scale of the land above printed on the floor, with corresponding portals, was genius. Herobrine looked around, noting all of the different banners on each portal. A movement out of the corner of his eye grabbed his attention. It was a person, with a grey beard and a labco- _ HE'D KILLED THAT GUY!? HOW WAS HE ALIVE?? _

Herobrine fell off the pillars and landed heavily on the floor, and laid there with his legs propped against the portal as some fireworks were heard. He spotted the apparently alive victim of his panic attack shoot into a tunnel. Oh, of course.

_ Okay Herobrine, relax, these guys are players, they can just respawn. Nothing unusual. _

It had been a long time since he'd come across any players, so he must have entered an area of the world under the control of a server. The thought was somewhat relaxing. At least there would not be any permanent victims of his inability to control his emotions. He looked behind him to see another portal set into the furthest corner in the room that was decorated in black banners with a white triangle and a red stripe. Scrambling to his feet, Herobrine went over to the lone portal and stepped in. He wanted to leave this damned dimension, no matter how sheltered from the hellscape it was. A portal off to the side looked like a rarely used area, it should be safe for-

He stepped out into a tall quartz and concrete room. Never mind.

\--

**<Grian> cub? are you alright?**

**<cubfan135> All good.**

**<Xisuma> What happened?**

**<Xisuma> Fireballed? Was that a Ghast?**

**<GoodTimeWithScar> That was a weird death message. What was that?**

**<Grian> fireballed by what?**

**<cubfan135> I don't know. I found some guy walking along the nether tunnel. **

**<cubfan135> I tried asking who they were but they reacted with a huge fireball.**

**<GoodTimeWithScar> A person shot a fireball?**

**<cubfan135> Seems like it**

**<Grian> was it someone with a herobrine skin and a bloodstained shirt?**

**<cubfan135> Yes**

**<cubfan135> Can someone go see if my stuff is okay? He might have burnt it.**

Grian fired another rocket as he sped along the nether tunnel. He barely paid attention to the tips of his elytra brushing against the walls, instead more lost in his own confusion. First he had witnessed the mystery stranger both survive a huge fall and teleport from right out under him. Then, the garbled mess eif the stranger's name on X's list. Then Cub being killed by a similar garbled mess, then him mentioning the stranger had used a _ fireball. _They were dealing with something extremely out of the ordinary. A small boat appeared on the ice in the distance, and soon he could see the items dropped by Cub scattered all over the floor. Grian folded his elytra closed and dropped to the floor, then placed a shulker box. He then went around collecting the dropped items, carefully storing them in the box. When they were all safely stashed, Grian took his communicator out to tell Cub.

**<Grian> i got your stuff. **

**<cubfan135> Thanks Grian. On my way there now**

Grian stuffed the device back in his pocket and sat down on the boat. A few minutes passed until Cub appeared in the distance. He slowed the boat he was riding down to a stop, then got out and headed straight to the shulker box.

"Got everything?" Grian asked as Cub rummaged through the box.

"Looks like it. Say, how did you know what this guy looked like?"

"I found him in my build battle house. Managed to get away from me by teleporting, and now you're saying he can shoot fireballs?" Cub nodded. He closed the shulker box with a frown, having recovered his inventory, then slowly went back to the boat.

"Bit of a mystery huh?" Grian nodded.

"Me and X were investigating it."

Cub's frown deepened as he absorbed the information, obviously mulling thoughts over in his head. Then, the expression cleared and he nodded to Grian. 

"Well, thanks again for the help Grian. I'll be on my way now." Grian waved as the other hermit sped away towards the Hermitville portal. With a sigh, he turned and took out his rockets, then took off, flying after him.

\--

Herobrine sat on the edge of the concrete and glass walkway, letting his legs swing in the air as he surveyed the gigantic structure around him. Massive strips of concrete and glass curved over his head, meeting at the top to form an enormous sphere. A huge pillar of glass and ice was located in the middle, with several walkways sticking out of it, and a huge ball supported on top that, amusingly, had several moustaches plastered on it. Some of the walkways had chests on the sides of them, and the entire area hummed with Redstone Signal. He could feel the energy from the fine red dust emanating from every inch of the sphere. This was the home of an extremely technical person. Even the earth itself looked technical, squares and cuboids of dirt and rock jutting in ways that made it seem like the resolution of the ground had been turned all the way down. The entire area had a very futuristic feel, not one that was often seen. Herobrine liked it a lot.

He looked down at his hands and flexed them. He hadn't tried to summon Signal for a while now, and with the amount of it thrumming around him, he felt that he at least had to try. He frowned as he concentrated on his hands. The same energy he felt outside and around him started to build inside him, and he smiled as tiny red sparks flew from his fingertips. Still had it in him. He closed his hands and laid them on his lap, looking up at the spherical structure yet again. A sudden burst of fireworks cut through the peaceful air, startling him.

A shape suddenly whizzed into view, nearly crashing into one of the sides of the sphere with a yelp. The figure clumsily regained it’s composure mid air and turned around to land in amongst the rows of chests. Herobrine could hear mutters of “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” coming from them, then the thump of a body heavily hitting the floor. There was the sound of opening and closing chests, and an exasperated groan. Some more fireworks sounded, and the figure shot into the air a short way, then proceeded to plummet back to the walkway. The process was repeated twice more before they managed to get enough wind under their wings to take to the air. A few more rockets took them out of sight as they swooped down below. Herobrine had frozen completely to watch the scene unfold. Then, after a few moments, he burst out laughing. He’d had images of an imposing, intimidating character, sharp and quick witted. Yet what he’d just witnessed… for some reason the word “Bumbo” came to mind. That wasn't even a real word!

The laughter suddenly turned into coughing, and he covered his mouth. When the cough had subsided, he looked down at the blood that was spattered against the palm of his hand and scowled, wiping it off on his shirt. How dare his own body remind him of his failing health in this moment of mirth and merriment. He took out a golden carrot and bit down on it, watching some dolphins play in the water far below. The wind rustled his hair slightly, and he closed his eyes to listen to the sound of the waves. The air of relaxation soon returned. He had to shake himself awake a few times, and was nearly dropping into sleep yet again when

**Thud.**

Herobrine started back to wakefulness, and looked around to try and find the source. The sight of the person from earlier standing just a few meters away made his heart drop. 

“Hello there!” The stranger waved at him. Herobrine’s eyes shifted around a bit, wondering what to do, then he slowly and shyly waved back. The other’s brow was furrowed in confusion as they took in the sight of him.

“Are.. you new around here? I don't recognise you.” Herobrine nodded slightly in response, taking the time to absorb the appearance of the other person. 

They towered over him in height, wearing a neat, well-tailored suit with some red dust caught in between the fibers, short black hair, warm dark eyes and a moustache growing on his upper lip. That explains the ball of moustaches hovering above the area. He tore his eyes away from the impressive facial hair and trained them down on his own knees instead. There was some footsteps as the other approached him.

_ Keep your cool Herobrine. Don't turn this into another murder scene… _

The dreaded sound of a weapon being drawn reached his ears.

His hands shook, and red sparks danced around them. He clenched them angrily, and pushed himself to his feet. The other was leaning on a pickaxe casually, fiddling and spinning it with the tip against the ground. Herobrine's sudden movement made them drop it in surprise and take a step back and raise their arms to cover themselves defensively. However, they did not seem to have a threatening stance. If anything they seemed more curious, if a bit apprehensive at the strange sight they saw.

“What on earth is that?" He asked. “Is that redstone? Do you have redstone torches in your hands?” Herobrine shot a glare at them, half threatening, half warning them to back off. He tried to stop the Redstone particles, but instead the sparks intensified, wrapping around his arms in arcs of red energy. They got the warning message loud and clear, and backed away a few steps. And straight off the edge of the walkway.

The energy around Herobrine’s arms vanished. He watched in shock as the moustached man suddenly plummeted out of sight with a cry. His feet felt frozen to the walkway, and he tried to force them to move. A horrific crack echoed around the area, finally shocking his legs out of paralysis. He ran to the edge and peered out over the side, searching for any sign of the other person. Below, they laid sprawled on the digitized ground, apparently having not managed to open their elytra in time. He caught sight of a red splatter mark on the side of the concrete curve and cringed, then leapt off the walkway. His feet thudded quietly onto the grass, and he clenched his eyes shut as the shock of the landing shot through his legs. Ahead of him, the fallen stranger’s limbs twitched sporadically. He approached them cautiously, then caught sight of the red leaking from the other’s head. 

Dammit… He hadn't even meant to do anything but keep someone out of the way of himself, and another person was dead because of him.

He sighed and half covered his face with one hand, watching the corpse and waiting for it to disappear. He’d at least collect the dropped items for them this time. After a few moments, it had not vanished. Herobrine frowned and stepped closer to the other, examining them, and noticed their very slight breathing. He kneeled down beside their head, and shook them gently, then frowned as they did not respond. Still alive, but as good as dead anyway. 

A bubble of anger rose inside of him. Why must he always _ hurt _ people? It was almost an aura he had, and anyone caught within it suffered a horrible death. He ran his hand over the stranger’s injury, and cried out in frustration as the bubble of anger burst. A flurry of green and yellow particles exploded out of his hand, and his frustrated cry turned into one of shock. He leapt back as the particles fell on the surrounding grass. Not _ again_.

He waited for them to clear, dreading to see what he’d done to the poor stranger that laid on the ground in front of him. The stranger suddenly groaned and lifted his head, making Herobrine yelp in surprise a second time. The particles finally cleared enough to reveal an ugly scar where the injury had previously been. The other rubbed his head, then pushed himself into a sitting position.

“What.. happened?” He opened his eyes and squinted around, then spotted Herobrine staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. The two locked eyes, both perplexed at the events that had just transpired. 

“Are you okay?” He asked.

Herobrine got to his feet and turned away. He needed to get out of here. He had no idea what had just happened, or that he could do what he just did… and he just suddenly... felt so… tired… 

Conscious thought had already left him before his body hit the ground.


	4. Treated right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which something is finally done about that wound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just warning that it is pretty gory, so if you;re not into that stuff skip the paragraph after "leaving it open to the air in all of its gory glory."

_ He was falling. Who was he? There were no memories to be found. All he knew was that he was falling. _

_ Below him, a bright green shape emerged out of the fog, and it floated closer and closer until finally, he landed. The air around him felt thick and soupy, and surrounded him in a bright blue haze. He got to his feet, looking around. _

_ The ground under him felt spongey yet firm. He walked forward a couple of steps, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other. He could move. _

_ His movement took him in a straight line, all the way until the green ground stopped. He looked over to see yet more blue, stretching out into an infinite void. _

_ He turned away to walk back into the middle of the green. _

** _Try breaking_ **

_ The odd voice was in his head, yet all around him. He looked at the ground, then knelt down. Breaking. With a soft hit, the green shimmered out of existence. Under the green there was a hard lumpy dark grey. He hit another green, and another, revealing more of the grey. Then, he tapped the grey. That vanished too. _

_ He could break. _

_ He ran around, punching more and more, watching in wonder as the ground vanished under his hands. Soon, a hole had opened in the once featureless green. He had made the hole. He could break. _

** _Good._ **

_ Then he was falling. _

  
  


It was now Mumbo's turn to be confused. His head was killing him, but his concerns more lay with the person who he'd found sitting on a walkway of his base, and was now just collapsed in a heap in front of him. He slowly stood, groaning as his headache worsened from the change in altitude, and braced himself against the throbbing pain. Then he approached the crumpled form on the ground curiously. They did not react to his presence, instead seeming to be completely unconscious. Mumbo poked him gently with his foot, trying to elicit a response.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

He kneeled down, and shook the man gently, frowning at the lack of any reaction. This person was properly out. Mumbo slid his arms under the man and rolled him over onto his back, then lifted him off the ground. The lack of expected weight made him stumble backwards, but he regained his footing and set off towards the dome that housed his bed and small garden. When he crossed over the threshold, he carefully laid the man on the bed inside, got out his communicator and, ignoring the unread messages sign, typed a private message to Xisuma.

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> Hey X?**

**<Xisuma > MumboJumbo> yes?**

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> Did you invite any new people onto the server recently?**

**<Xisumavoid > MumboJumbo> hold still.**

Mumbo read the last message once, twice, then again for the third time. Why stay still, what was X doing? His question was answered in the next instant when the admin suddenly appeared practically on top of him.

"Gah? What?" 

"Show me." X's tone was unexpectedly sharp, and Mumbo gestured behind him to the man fast asleep on the bed. Xisuma went over to him, looking him over with his hands on his hips. Then he backed off a few steps and took out his communicator. After a few moments of typing messages, a small holographic screen appeared, projecting out of the device. X entered a command, and a second later, Grian apparated out out of thin air in front of him. The hermit hung in the air for a split second, then dropped to the floor with a cry. He blinked around, dazed from the sudden change of scenery. 

"X what is-"

"Is this who you saw in your house, Grian?" The admin asked, pointing at the "who" he was referring to. Grian followed Xisuma's finger, and spotted the figure on the bed. He stumbled to his feet, and inspected him, spotting the stained shirt, then nodded.

"Yup… what's he doing here?" He turned to look at Mumbo, and his confused expression turned into one of horror.

"Mumbo? What happened-?" Mumbo shrugged.

"I just found this guy on a walkway, then I think I fell off… then I just watched this guy take a few steps away from me and faint?"

"No, no, not to them, to you!"

"Huh?" Grian tugged at the arm of Mumbo's jacket, leading him over to the glass wall of the dome, then pointed at his reflection. Mumbo's eyes instantly flew to the huge line that cut through his hair. He felt around it gingerly, cringing as it stung under his finger.

"I… what… huh…" 

"What did he do to you??" Grian turned around, not bothering to hide his rising fury at the stranger on the bed. X stepped in between them, flashing a look at Grian.

"I don't know? I don't think-"

"Calm down Grian, it should be gone the next time Mumbo respawns." Grian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, swallowing his anger. 

"Can you show us where you found him?" Xisuma asked. Mumbo nodded, and turned to walk out of the dome, with the other two following behind. A few misfired rockets later, he was standing on the walkway he'd first found the man sitting on.

"He was just sitting here, looking around. Seemed a bit shy if anything. Then…" Mumbo frowned, trying to remember some more detail. The hard thinking made his head hurt even more, but he managed to grasp a memory he'd nearly forgotten.

"Red sparks! Like.. Like-" he pulled a redstone torch out and stuck it in the walkway, then indicated the red puffs of particles it gave off. Both X and Grian tilted their heads, trying to figure out what that could mean.

"Redstone? Along with… teleporting and fire?"

"Teleporting and what now? What is going on why are you so..." Mumbo massaged his temples in an attempt to soothe his headache. 

"Have you been reading the messages in the chat Mumbo?" Grian took his communicator out of his pocket and opened the logs of previous chat. Mumbo copied him, reading through the messages he'd been ignoring. His headache worsened more as he took in all the information.

"He killed Cub? With a fireball? Like a Ghast?" 

"Among other things. Did… you mentioned falling, did he push you maybe?" 

"No… I think I backed away from the whole… redstone thing… then fell off myself." Grian couldn't help but let out a snort. Only Mumbo.

"That explains the bloodstains then." Both jumped as X appeared next to them. He pointed down below the walkway, and the other two peered out over the side. They quickly spotted what X was talking about; a huge nasty bloodstain was splattered over the smooth concrete of the sphere. Grian cringed as Mumbo instinctively rubbed the scar on his head. He checked his boots to find that they did not have feather falling on them. The drop should have killed him, not to mention the hit he took on the way down.

"Guess that also explains my headache…" he hopped off the walkway, and glided down to the ground below. The other two landed behind him, X instantly spotting something and going to take a closer look.

"This was where he was, just here." Grian tore his eyes away from the red puddle on the grass to look at Mumbo, who was looking down at another patch of ground. They both stood, lost in thought for a moment, before turning to Xisuma, who was approaching them with a clump of dirt in his hand. He held it out towards them.

"Mumbo, did you revive yourself with a totem of undying?" He asked. Mumbo shook his head, wincing as the world blurred.

"No?"

"Then what are these particles doing here?" X pointed at the grass growing on the dirt clump. Grian and Mumbo leaned in to look at the grass closely. Sure enough, there were thick yellow and green particles clinging to the blades, almost invisible as they were slowly evaporating. Mumbo raised an eyebrow. He hadn't used a totem, had he? He ran his fingers through his hair and then looked at them, blinking when he noticed the same particles coating his hand. A sudden thought struck him, and he turned and ran towards the tree dome. He skidded to a stop at the entrance, and hurried to the bed. X and Grian followed him in, both exchanging looks as they mutually questioned what Mumbo was doing. Mumbo had lifted the left hand of the stranger, and looked closely. There they were.

"This guy's got the particles too. Could… he be the source? Maybe?"

Xisuma and Grian crowded together to get a better look. 

“So you’re saying… this guy... used a totem of undying on you… without a totem of undying?” Grian said slowly. Mumbo nodded, then winced. He let the hand drop back to the covers, and leaned back, fiddling with his moustache a bit. Grian turned to X.

"So… what are you going to do with him?"

X shrugged.

"I can't actually do anything, can't possibly enter those characters in to the command line." He gestured to the rapidly shifting glitched characters on the holographic screen, and sighed.

"I don't want to ban him right off the bat though. I think will keep him either at my base, or just somewhere secure for a while, just to keep an eye on him. None of us have any idea what his intentions are, and he _ did _ kill Cub…" Grian looked back to the man on the bed, his only thought being on something else.

"X, can we... Do something about… this… first?" He pointed at the large bloodstain on the man's shirt, then grabbed the hem to try and lift it. The fabric seemed to be plastered to his skin, and Grian dropped it again. X looked over it and nodded.

"Seems cruel to not do anything about it." He turned and stepped out of the room. Mumbo sat down on the edge of the bed, looking between the sleeping man on the bed and Grian.

"So… any of you going to fill me in on what is going on? Who is this guy? Why are you so concerned about him?"

Grian shrugged.

"No clue. Random guy in a Herobrine skin steals stuff from our Hermitland shop, breaks in and sleeps in my house, _ teleports away _ from me when I try to corner him, fireballed Cub, and according to you can produce some sort of redstone energy and maybe even be able to replicate a totem of undying? Why wouldn't we be concerned? X especially, since he doesn't know this person. Didn't invite him or anything." Mumbo twitched and tapped his foot on the ground, then shifted. A sudden absurd thought came to him.

"Do you think he could be like… the real Herobrine?" He asked with a laugh. Grian snorted, then took out his sword and gently began to cut away at the man's shirt.

"I… don't know. I… I thought he was a myth? Like people would say 'oh I got Herobrine on my world!' And stuff like that? And now he's real and lying unconscious right in front of us? I... Don't really know what to think…" 

"Well, have you got any other explanation?" Mumbo asked as he held the shirt out of the way for Grian. The fabric had pulled back to reveal the somewhat emaciated and scarred body of the person underneath. Grian attempted again to pull the shirt away from his wounded side, but stopped when the man winced. The woosh of an elytra announced the return of Xisuma. There was a clunk as a bucket of water was set down at Mumbo's feet. Mumbo shifted out of the way, opting to stay back as the other two got to work. They slowly soaked the shirt off of the injury, leaving it open to the air in all of its gory glory.

The wound looked to be months old, and covered his entire side. The exposed flesh looked blackened and rotten, the skin around it bright red where it wasn't encrusted in dried blood. Dribbles of liquid leaked from several spots, dripping down over shapes that definitely looked like exposed ribs. Grian had to step back, his hand clamped over his mouth in shock. Mumbo took one look and left the room. X had no reaction, but the disgust could be sensed coming off of him in waves. He produced a piece of wool and dipped it in the bucket, and gently dabbed at the edge of the wound to clean some of the congealed blood off. 

"Good idea Grian." He said simply. Grian kneeled down beside the admin, wanting to help, but was shooed away.

"Go grab more water buckets, and tell Mumbo to get a few potions. Regen or Healing, both would be best." Grian nodded and turned out the room. Outside, Mumbo was leaning against the glass, looking pale.

"You okay Mumby?" He nodded in reply.

"Just a headache… I heard X, I'll go grab the potions." He took a shaky step away from the wall and opened his elytra. Grian shot a worried frown at his friend.

"After you do that, go have a lie down" He suggested. Mumbo opened his mouth to object, but the headache he was suffering suddenly throbbed even worse. Instead he gave a small nod, regretting the movement. Grian opened his own elytra and took off smoothly, looking behind him to see that Mumbo had opted to take an elevator instead. He banked to the side, and sped away towards his own base, the trails of rockets dissipating behind him. A smooth arch through the entrance and a graceful landing later, Grian was opening shulker after shulker, gathering as many buckets as he could find. 21 seemed excessive, but he didn't want to keep X on hold while refilling. His flight back to Mumbo's base was kept low over the sea, dipping bucket after bucket into the water, filling 17 before having to dodge a quartz and concrete building. He dropped into the room smoothly, thunking a bucket on the floor as he did so. X swapped the buckets as Grian unloaded the rest, and he raised an eyebrow at the long row of buckets covering the floor. 

"I think that's plenty, thanks Grian!" The wound looked cleaner, but Grian couldn't help but notice the dirty water that soaked the bedsheets. There was a clink of bottles as Mumbo stumbled back in. 

"Anything else you need?" He gasped as he practically dropped the potions next to X.

"No Mumbo, go to bed." Grian replied before X had the chance to. Mumbo grunted and staggered out of the room. 

"Is he okay?" X questioned, watching the suited hermit wobble away.

"He said he had a headache. I think that he took a harder hit than we realized… so I told him to get some rest." X handed a potion to Grian.

"Go give this to him and make sure he follows your instructions. We've enough injured people to deal with right now." 

\--

The next half an hour was spent with Grian zipping in and out of the room, gathering things X asked for. The stranger's injury looked a lot better, most of the infected viscera having been cleaned away. X had even pulled a few wicked black thorns out of his side, and identified them as coming from a wither rose. The severity of the wound made sense after that discovery, and the two opted to cut out any withered flesh lest it spread further. Soon, Grian was supporting the man as X wrapped some bandages around his body. They were both surprised that their patient hadn't stirred in the slightest throughout the entire ordeal. Some fresh red seeped through the bandage, making Grian wince in worry. X seemed unconcerned however, laying the man back down on the bed. The splats of dirt on the covers caught Grian's attention.

"Should I get a new bed? This one's filthy now." X looked down at the dirty sheets, then agreed with a "Good idea."

Grian once again flew out of the room and back to his base. He quickly gathered and constructed a bed, then sped back. With the fresh bed placed down, Xisuma carried their sleeping guest over to it and laid him down. Grian pulled the covers over him, then set himself to the task of helping Xisuma clear the left behind mess.

"I think that I'll construct a separate place to keep this guy for now. Obsidian should do the trick right?" X mused as he packed his supplies away in a shulker box. Grian made a sound of agreement as he cleaned one last puddle of water. With a burst of fireworks, the admin jumped out of the room into the air. Grian watched the receding form of the armoured hermit speed away into the distance, them sat down next to the bed. He glanced back over to the sleeping Herobrine-person taking in the features of his body. Under the bandages, his body looked as if it had once been bound in muscle, but it had wasted away over time. There were so many crisscrossing scars that it made his skin look paler than it actually was, and gave his body a rough look. And a lot of the scars looked as if they had been done with swords. Grian couldn't help but cringe at the sight, suddenly understanding why this person seemed so scared of him. He thought back to what Mumbo had said earlier.

_ Could this be the real Herobrine? _

It was ridiculous, but would make sense if it turned out to be the case. The myth had gained a lot of popularity over the years, and the character had evolved into some sort of evil satan of minecraft somehow. And if that was indeed real, he would have fought a lot of people, an experience that would leave anyone scarred and in bad shape. Maybe the injury he currently had wasn't a rare occurrence. He sighed, feeling slightly sad for him. He hadn’t seemed that evil, so trying to strike down the god of all evil in minecraft when said god of all evil wasn’t that bad at all did not seem fair towards the poor guy.

Then again, he’d only seen the person awake once, and he _ had_ killed one of them already. Grian shook his head at the entire thought process. Sitting here thinking about it wouldn’t solve anything, and plus he wanted to go check on Mumbo to see if the redstoner had actually gone to rest and not started on another redstone project. He got to his feet, and with one last glance behind him, jumped out of the room and flew away.


	5. Getting out and about.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which more technology gets messed with.

_ He was falling. _

_ The green was approaching again, and this time he landed on his feet. His playground had returned. Had it gone anywhere? _

_ His hole had vanished, replaced with featureless green once again. That was no damper, as he quickly got to work. Block after block disappeared under his blows, and soon a new hole had opened, bigger and more impressive than before. He could break, and was good at breaking. Breaking was good. _

** _Try placing_ **

_ Placing? He looked at his hand, to find it no longer empty. A block was there, clasped in between the fingers. He slowly lowered it to the floor, and placed it. _

_ The space before him that had previously held a block he had broken, held a block once again. He could place. _

_ A few more blocks were set down, and then re broken as he tested this new ability. Then he ran out of the hole, excited to see just what he could do. _

_ Blocks were placed in a circular pattern, all the same hard grey as before, but no longer was the ground flat. The blocks were but parts, all placed to fit together and build a new shape. The shape stretched to the sky. He was proud of what he'd created. He could place. He could build. _

_ There was only grey though. _

_ Could there be more colours? _

** _Good_ **

_ Then, he was falling. _

  
  


Herobrine's eyelids flickered, signalling his return to wakefulness. He rolled over onto his front and stretched, embracing the feeling of the warm fabric cocooning him. His mind tried to think back to the day before, which struck him with a realization.

He had _ not _gone to sleep in a bed.

His eyes flew open, darting around his surroundings as he felt his heart rate increase. Smooth black obsidian walls encased him on all sides, with one wall holding an iron bar window. Herobrine fell off the bed, shuddering as he felt the cold black rock come into contact with bare skin. Wait, where was his shirt? He felt around, feeling the bandages that were wrapped tightly around his body. A faint spike of pain emanated from his side when he prodded the area of his injury, but it was hurting a lot less than before. Had someone treated him? Then imprisoned him in an obsidian cell? The entire situation was confounding.

He got to his feet and went over to the window, peering out through the bars. The area outside was dark, but he could make out water underneath a starry sky. The faint wooshes of a nether portal could be heard from somewhere behind the obsidian box. Herobrine frowned, drumming on the obsidian windowsill with his fingers. He traced the line of the smooth rock, feeling it's grain curve into a sharp edge. Then, he balled his fist, and punched at the obsidian as hard as he could. The crack of his knuckles against the wall nearly made him cry out, but he bit his tongue and punched the rock again, and again, over and over. After a full minute, some cracks had appeared in the wall, a sight that made him hit with renewed vigor.

A soft light had broken over the ocean as he worked, nearly brightening into a full morning light when finally, the obsidian shattered. Herobrine looked between the hole he'd made and his raw knuckles, cringing at how much they ached. Then, he crouched and squeezed out under the iron bars into the sunlight. The prison was situated on a small cobble platform, and ocean stretched to the horizon in every direction except one, which had a small strip of land just breaking into view over the waves. It would be a long swim to the land, but Herobrine did not want to risk going through the nether. The tunnels were too cramped, and it would be too easy to be seen. He groaned to himself, dreading the journey to shore. He'd never been that good of a swimmer due to his extended stays in the Nether. And lava tend to support your weight a lot more than water does, even with the way it clings to bodies.

He shuddered, then jumped into the water before he had the chance to overthink the situation. The water closed over his head, and he had to stop himself from gasping as the coldness instantly seeped through his jeans. The tight bandages loosened as they soaked in the water, and the wound underneath started to sting. He kicked his legs out and broke the surface of the water, gulping in a few lungfuls of air. Never mind, Nether portal it was. Herobrine heaved himself out of the water back on to the platform, and shivered as the droplets cascaded off of his back. He coughed, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the stinging wetness. Definitely Nether, screw swimming. The portal looked almost inviting as he stepped into it, and soon his form had vanished.

Behind the obsidian frame, the whirr of a small machine which had been disguised by the sounds of the portal changed it’s pitch, and a drone shifted it’s position to start rising into the air. It turned, and started to head away towards the main island.

\--

To his relief, the portal did not take him directly into the hub, instead a bit outside of it. The water that clung to his body quickly evaporated in the ambient heat. For some reason, he felt himself getting drawn back to the village he'd come from, desiring to see more of what these people had done. A bad idea, but one he decided to follow nonetheless. He started climbing the surrounding netherrack, passing some groups of pigmen on the way. When he got to the top, he looked back to find two small pigmen had tagged along behind him.

"Hey lil guys!" The piglets ran in circles around him, seemingly chasing each other in a game of tag. One jumped onto Herobrine's shoulders in an attempt to escape the grasping trotter-hands of the other. The other tried to follow suit, but both ended up tumbling into a pile of pig in front of him. He chuckled, and checked in his pocket, finding that he still had two golden carrots remaining. They were a bit wilted by now, but the two piglets seemed to take an interest in them anyway. He tossed one to each of them, and they chomped down on the vegetables happily.

Herobrine watched them until be spotted a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look, and saw an odd hovering machine half hidden by a spike of netherrack. He got to his feet and approached the thing cautiously. It was flying on four propellers that looked to be cleverly fashioned from iron trapdoors, and a blue logo was emblazoned on the base of it that read '**ConCorp**'.

It certainly was not alive, but Herobrine could not shake off the feeling that someone, somehow, was watching him. He ducked away from the machine behind the netherrack, turning his attention back to the small pigmen. They had resumed their game of tag, but an adult was there now, half joining in, half trying to usher the piglets down from the precarious ledge. He smiled at the sight. The pigmen were definitely the best thing about the nether: social, curious, peaceful unless someone decides to harm one of their own. However, he had a destination in mind, and standing there watching pigmen families wasn't getting him anywhere nearer. He turned away, and started off, heading eastwards and following the outside of the tunnel that stretched off into the distance.

Throughout the entire journey, Herobrine still could not shake off the feeling of being watched. He'd spotted a few more of the flying things, and swore that a few were following him. One of them had appeared right over his head, and he wasted no time in destroying it as it flew way too close for comfort. The blades of the propellers had sliced some cuts into his wrists, but he ignored them as he deconstructed the machine and threw the parts off the edge into the lava below. After that the things kept their distance.

The end of the tunnel was in sight,and he could feel the energy or the portal through the walls. A short while of punching later, Herobrine was standing in front of the obsidian frame, staring into the deep, swirling purple. He took a deep breath and stepped in.

On the other side, he opened his eyes to find a person standing there. It was the same person he'd encountered in the nether tunnel, only he was now wearing a black suit, and some dark shades covering his eyes. A crossbow with a firework rocket was pointed directly at Herobrine's chest. Not the greatest sight to be greeted by when going through a portal.

Herobrine felt himself react by instinct, and didn't register that he'd just kicked the suited stranger off of the tower until he heard the thud from below. He peered over the side to see the other sitting against a wall on the other side of the street, dazed. 

He recovered quickly from the impact though, and grabbed the crossbow again. Herobrine backed away, then turned and jumped off the other side of the tower as a rocket shot over him and exploded in the rafters. His feet hit the grass with a thud, and he took off, running into the treeline. He could hear the sound of footsteps behind him as the man gave chase. However, his speed was superior and he had soon hidden himself deep in the trees.

The shadow of his pursuer passed overhead a few times as they flew around trying to find him. He held his breath, praying for them to give up and leave. Finally, they did. It took a while for his heart rate to return to normal, but when his legs had finally stopped shaking, Herobrine ducked out of his hiding spot under the roots of a tree and carried on walking. His path took him out into a huge field, and he paused at the sight he saw in front of him.

Three people - Grian, and the other two he had been with earlier, were all milling around what looked to be a giant van that was built as if it was launching into the sky. There was a smaller one poking out of the base of the van that looked like it had all sorts of slime and redstone inside of it. Next to that was a large wooden tower, with a display made of glowstone lamps. Herobrine climbed a nearby tree and sat in the top, obscured by the branches, to watch the strange situation unfold. The three looked to be troubleshooting something with the smaller van, with Grian placing blocks in a particular order, then consulting the man in the black shirt. They kept at it for a while, and some time later everything seemed to almost be ready for whatever they were doing. The black shirted man flew over to land on the trees, not too far from where Herobrine was hidden. He could hear his conversation, along with something that sounded like voices that he could not make out.

"I got… I got faith in this one! … OK, it's going! We're at six...five...four...three...two...one! Aaaand-!" There was a sudden burst of fireworks around the van, and the smaller one shifted a bit.

"It's moving!" The man started laughing, and Grian soared overhead, screaming "SUCCESS!!" Herobrine shrank into the leaves further, hoping to not be spotted in all the commotion.

"The RV has given birth! It's a girl!" Grian shouted, shooting around in the air like a phantom on a speed potion. The other two were also were flying around the machine they had activated, admiring their work. They all landed close by, chattering and joking with each other. Herobrine decided it was best to climb down the tree to not be seen. He landed lightly on the ground, listening to the conversation as it turned to invisibility potions and bonemeal. He sat down and rested his arms on his knees, once again feeling the pang of loneliness inside him. It sounded like they were preparing to pull off a huge prank of sorts. He sighed and took his focus off of the voices, instead listening to the wind disturbing the tree leaves. A few clunks of shulker boxes and firework launches later, the three were gone, leaving him alone again.

He got to his feet and went over to the fence, watching the mysterious growing grass and flowers sprouting all over the place on the other side. A harmless prank, it seemed. He smiled, then turned away, spotting some smoke rising into the air in the distance, hidden behind what looked to be a bunch of vans. curious, he approached the area to take a look.

There was a mess of shulker boxes all over the place, mirroring the one outside the stacked houses in the village. That Grian person… no sense of organisation… Herobrine looked around, admiring the vans that were parked around a burnt out firepit. He went inside one that had wooden panels on the side, taking in the brightly coloured peace flags. It was a very odd theme, but they had stuck to it very well throughout the entire area.

Herobrine's eyes fell on a band of flowers that was sitting on a table. He carefully grabbed it, trying not to damage any of the petals, and examined it closely. It appeared to be a flower crown, similar to the one Grian and his friend wore. A thought came to him, and he placed the flower crown on his own head, then looked at his reflection in a window. The scruffy man in the window stared back at him with blank white eyes, the unsettling nature of them somewhat dampened by the flowers that tangled their way through his hair. He felt the edge of a petal and smiled. Imagine that, him being a part of something. Even if that something was a strange cult of flowers, peace signs and flying vans.

He tore his eyes away from the reflection before his imagination ran away from him, and looked further into the van, spotting a button on the wall next to a quartz toilet. Lovely. Herobrine couldn't help himself but press the button though, and was surprised when the toilet retracted into the wall, revealing a hole leading down below. He peeped down it, judging the safety of the hole, then hopped in. The huge dirt cave filled with yellow machines that appeared before him made him blink in surprise and awe. A secret base, accessible via flushing yourself down a toilet. He stepped out, marvelling at the shape of the dirt walls that looked as if they had been meticulously placed by hand.

"Oh hello!" Herobrine jumped out of his skin and spun around, and he found himself staring into the green eyes of a Villager. The Villager blinked at him, then their face broke into a huge grin.

"It's you! You saved us from the Creeper Man!" The villager turned around and called back into the cave.

"Durc! It's the guy from the pit!" Another villager peered out from behind a machine. Their eyes widened at the sight of him, and they ran out and engulfed him in a hug. Herobrine froze at the sudden contact, not used to it at all, and slowly wrapped his arms around the villager in return. The other villager joined in, leaving him feeling awkwardly crowded, and both were shouting things like "Thank you! Thank you! Hero!"

"How d-" Herobrine cut the question short. They meant the other form of "Hero", not him. Although… it felt nice to be appreciated for something for once. He found himself smiling as he gently tried to wiggle out of the embrace. The Villagers broke the hug and shuffled back, beaming at him. He frowned and looked around, trying to spot if any others were present.

"Where are the rest of you?" The Villagers smiles dropped. They glanced at each.

"The creeper man caught the rest of us. We were the only ones that could get away." One of them - who was apparently called Durc - replied. The other Villager looked down at the floor.

"Who… what do you mean by creeper man?" Herobrine asked. The two suddenly both started shouting various answers.

"Creeper man, the Doctor I think he's called?"

"He's like… a half metal creeper."

"He's always doing crazy experiments."

"Sometimes even on us!"

"He even came down here, looking for us." 

"Him and his angry friend."

"Bad man."

"Mad scientist!"

"He's scary."

"Got some weird things in that area."

"He kept another person prisoner once!"

"He has trapped a Ravager somehow!"

"I don't like it."

Herobrine closed his eyes and held his hands out in front of him, trying to stop the multitudes of Villager rambling before it gave him a headache. The two went quiet, looking around nervously.

"Okay, okay, glad to see you two at least got out. Now uh… what is this place?" He gestured around the cave. Another tirade of Villager babbling started.

"This is known as the "hippy comoon" apparently?"

"There are three people here who like flowers. They wear them in their hair a lot." 

"Do you like flowers too? You're wearing them as well!" Herobrine felt around his hairline and found the flower crown was still on his head. Oops.

"They want to get into a place called "area 77". 

"My name is Kogu by the way."

"They three come down here and dig a tunnel."

"I think they're digging into the place we were trapped."

"I think I heard their names be Green, Red and Dimples. They have a meeting room over that way." Kogu finished, pointing to a tunnel dug into the side of the cave.

"Also, secret here! Come look!"

Durc skipped away to a dip in the wall of the cave. Herobrine and Kogu followed, watching as Durc scuffed their foot on a patch of dirt. There was a sudden racket of pistons as the wall folded in, revealing a short tunnel on the other side. Kogu ran inside, hopping a bit in excitement. At the end of the tunnel, there were two armour stands positioned either side of a chess table, posed in such a way that it looked as if they were playing the game. In front of them were a few signs that read "**Nothing to see here, GOT YOU**!"

"They built this to distract from the real tunnels. I think it worked. Creeper man and Angry man left after seeing this." Durc explained. Kogu ran back past them.

"Real tunnels are over here. I show yo-"

Voices from above froze the three of them to the spot. Herobrine threw himself under one of the yellow machines as someone thudded into the room.

"Alright, I took one for the team." There was another thud and a burst of giggling, followed by a third.

"Ohh come on…" Grian stepped into view, frowning down at something in his hand. The man with sunglasses went into the short tunnel, calling back "Look at this!'

"And the door's open!" Grian exclaimed, staring into the tunnel. The two Villagers slunk away guiltily, but were ignored.

"Did they find it?" A third voice called out, and the man with the black shirt came into view. 

"Possibly? Unless one of you guys went in here?" Grian answered, looking between the two.

"No, but it looked like the bamboozle might have worked" 

Herobrine looked over at the Villagers as Grian proceeded to explain the fake tunnel. They were whispering to each other, glancing around the cave.

"Beautiful." 

"Perfect!" 

He turned his attention back to the three men, who were going over to the area Kogu was headed to before they got interrupted.

"Just to rub salt in the wound the real tunnels have been, literally they're just here, and I didn't make a fancy door." Grian said, taking a shovel out and digging into the wall. Herobrine watched the laughing trio vanish into the hole Grian had dug, waiting a minute before dragging himself out from under the machine. The Villagers had disappeared, leaving him alone in the room. He went over and peered into the hole, watching the backs of the three getting smaller in the distance, their jestful conversations echoing back to him. Slowly, He crept after them, curious about what they were doing, shortly passing a circle of lamps that wrapped around the tunnel with a sign nailed to one of them saying** 'YOU ARE NOW ENTERING AREA 77'**

The trio and their unknown 4th tag along made their way through the tunnels. The dirt wall eventually gave away to stone, with creatures hiding in the shadows. They had slowed down and lowered their voices, seemingly nervous about something. A sudden explosion made all four of them jump, and Herobrine plastered himself to a wall to hide. There were confused whispers as they tried to figure out the source, then another explosion rattled the tunnel. Satisfied that the explosions were not a trap, they set off again, soon reaching a dead end. Then Grian took out some tnt and planted it on the wall, lighting the fuse. The three scrambled back out of the blast radius, and covered their ears as the explosive detonated. The process was repeated a few more times until they had blown their way into a room with smooth white walls. They then proceeded to hop down into the room, with Herobrine following them a short way behind.

He dropped down and landed heavily, watching the three squeeze through an ice window into another room. The entire area was built to look like a huge vault, with smooth concrete walls and quartz doors. He went over to run a finger over the concrete, having rarely encountered the block in the past. The smoothness felt nice under his fingertips, very much contrasted to the roughness of cobble or the grain of wood, yet not glassy like obsidian or… well... glass was. He caught the trio running across the room out of the corner of his eye, going into another side room. He went over and peered in through the ice, watching them circle around a small white structure that was sitting on a platform. Several huge cables were hung from the ceiling, connecting down into it, and two stations covered in screens and buttons are positioned off to the side. As he watched, Grian placed down some andesite and used it to climb into the platform, then opened the door on the structure and went inside. The other two followed him, leaving Herobrine free to come out from behind the wall and enter the room. As he approached the doorway, he noticed a lone grey and white cat standing and staring at him.

"Hey there!" He crouched down in front of the cat and offered a hand out. It sniffed it tentatively, then relaxed as it let him pet it. Herobrine looked at the tag that was on the cat's collar, reading the name 'Jellie'.

"Cute name, Jellie." The cat purred, then wandered off. He watched them go, then got to his feet to go into the room behind him, deciding to look at the control panels that circled the structure on the platform . He looked down at the instruments, watching text and numbers scroll on a small screen, and pressed a button. The scrolling stopped, with the text **A v1.2.6 **highlighted. The area began to hum with power, and a light emitted from the small window in the front of the structure. Some panicked shouting came from inside. Herobrine gulped as he felt the dread rise in him.

What had he done, why had he messed with this stuff, why did he have an irresistible desire to press buttons, oh dear Notch those three are going to die and it will be his faul- 

A blinding flash filled the room, making Herobrine cover his eyes. He stumbled back and sat down when his back came in contact with the wall, and kept his eyes squeezed shut. He did not want to see what his impulsive actions had done, but he resolved himself and cracked them open to survey the damage. The cables were hanging down, swinging slightly, and the structure was gone. In its footprint, smoke billowed from the platform.

Herobrine uncurled himself from the wall and walked stiffly over to the platform, then hauled himself up onto it. The area was partially melted, charred and still glowing with heat. There was no sign of the three that had entered the structure. It was as if they had never existed. He ran a finger over a twisted bit of metal, feeling the sharp edge cut into his skin. He was now responsible for four deaths, which would not help his reputation any. Maybe it was time to leave these people be, and continue on into the wilds once again. 

"Jellie! Jelli- Mm mmmm!" Herobrine's head snapped up at the sudden voice.

"Doc, come, fast, Jellie didn't do her job." 

"What?" A second deeper voice rang out through the air, with a tone that made him shudder.

"It's gone." The first said.

"Oohh… crap." Herobrine was frozen. He felt the presence of the two strangers just below him, and had laid himself down to the half melted metal, praying that the slight lip of the platform would hide him. The voices shifted away from him to the other side of the room. He should have taken that as a chance to escape, but he remained frozen. That voice… he'd heard it before… but where? His limbs finally regained motion and he pushed himself to his feet.

"I mean… they could have just asked if I could give them the time machine back. You know, I was done analyzing the thing." They were getting closer again.

"Yeah? As long as they're careful with it-" Herobrine and the stranger locked eyes, his blank white ones staring into green.

"Doc… Doc, they were not careful with it."


	6. And what do we say to the god of death?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get a bit more serious.

“What do you mean not caref- Oh. My god.”

The owner of the other voice - Doc - strode into view, staring up at Herobrine. He towered over the other, with skin the same colour and texture of a creeper, and a metal hand clenched around a long turquoise pole that ended in three prongs. A trident? The black sunglasses he wore did not cover the red cybernetic eye, and the sight of it slotted the final puzzle piece into place.

Creeper with a red eye. The trident, vibrating as it stuck out of the asphalt beside him. The “creeper man” the villagers can called the “Doc”tor. That _ voice. _

Herobrine had not noticed that both of his arms were ablaze. He clenched his fists, feeling the fire lapping around them, and stared down at the two in front of him. Doc's trident was pointed at him in a threatening manner.

"No way… I thought this guy was a myth?" Doc said, turning to his companion. The other was holding Jellie in his arms, somewhat shielding the cat from Herobrine with his own body.

"I dunno Doc, a few days ago, Cub was killed by something that only showed as a garbled mess, and Grian mentioned something about a Herobrine." His eyes flickered over the flames rising off of Herobrine's arms, that was trying to extinguish, and turned to Doc. "And Cub mentioned fire as well. Maybe… could this be this be the same guy?" He gulped nervously, and took a step back. 

"Do you think… we should contain him?" Doc was inspecting Herobrine from head to toe, taking in every detail. He frowned, and angled the trident slightly to point at Herobrine's head.

"Was… is he part of the hippies?" The statement reminded Herobrine of the flower crown he was still wearing. His hand lifted to feel the flowers that curled around his head, and felt a slight bubble of embarrassment. He must look ridiculous… 

"I would not put it past them to get the god of destruction on their side. You can never trust a hippie…" 

Ugh… that title… 

Herobrine jumped off the platform, landing in front of the two. 

_ If you let me go by, I'll leave, no one gets hurt. _

The message should have been clear and simple enough, but once again, like every other damn time, he found his vocal cords paralyzed, and he couldn't form the words. Why here, why now. No matter. He took a step forward, and the other two shuffled back. Good enough. The title of "God of Destruction" left a bad taste in his mouth, but it did help get him out of tense situations from intimidation alone. He started to turn to leave the site when a trident was hurled at him with full force.

Never mind, not good enough. 

His hand flew out and clasped closed around the trident handle, stopping it millimeters from his chest. Doc's eye widened in shock. The trident tugged at Herobrine’s hand, and he let it go. It flew back to Doc, who caught it out of the air, and brought it down to his side. He barely had time to look up before Herobine was lunging at him, fists ablaze and poised to strike. He raised the trident and slammed the handle against Herobrine’s chest, keeping him at arm’s length. 

“Scar, get back! This guy’s crazy!” The other hermit happily obliged. Doc twisted the trident, making Herobrine stumble past him. He turned and threw the trident at him, but the weapon slammed into the floor, the impact vibrating through the vault. Herobrine’s fists caught alight once again, and he charged at Doc. Doc could not get out of the way in time, and found himself pinned to the wall. The impact of body and metal on concrete rang throughout the corridor, knocking the breath out of the pinned hermit. Herobrine’s hand closed around doc’s throat, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Doc pushed back against his captor, trying to rip the hands from around his neck before he got incinerated. Herobrine responded by gripping tighter and was preparing to increase the power of his fire when a flash of turquoise was caught out of the corner of his eye. The next moment, the trident’s handle smacked against his head, scattering stars before his eyes. 

The grip around Doc’s throat loosened, and Doc grabbed the arm and pulled it off, then wiggled out of the grip of the other and wrapped his metal arm around Herobrine’s neck, pulling him backwards. Herobrine lost his footing, still dazed from the impact of the trident, and found himself choking as his weight was no longer supported by the floor. He shook off the last of the stupor and dug his feet into the ground, grabbed the arm locked around his neck and threw all his weight forward. The hermit sailed over his head and landed on the floor in front of him, and he raised his fist, feeling the heat of the fire that spread over it, then brought it down onto the downed hermit with all of his might. 

The fist crashed harmlessly into the floor however, as Doc had rolled aside and got to his feet. He stabbed forward with the trident, and impaled Herobrine directly in the chest. Herobrine stumbled back, clutching at the wound. Blood welled under his fingers, and he looked up to see the Hermit approaching him with a dangerous glint in his eye. He backed away, only to find a wall behind him, and he instinctively flattened himself against it, feeling the fear rising in him as the other did not slow down. The trident was pointed directly at his face. As well as the fear, something else was growing inside him, a familiar feeling he’s felt before, recently. His terrified expression turned into a grin, and he disappeared, leaving nothing but a cloud of purple particles. Doc’s trident stabbed harmlessly into the wall, and he looked around in confusion.

“He can teleport?”

“Doc! Look out-” Doc turned around to see Herobrine stood behind him, ready to strike. Behind that, Scar was running towards them. He had a trident in his own hand, and lobbed it at Herobrine. The prongs sank deep into his back, and he spun around, redirecting the blow at Scar.

“Scar! I told you to get outta here!”

Doc lunged forward, trying to grab Herobrine before he could harm his friend. His hands missed the arms he was aiming for, instead closing around the bandages that was wrapped loosely around Herobrine’s body. He pulled back, and the bandages tore off of Herobrine’s body with a sickening rip, splattering blood all over the floor. Herobrine let out an agonized scream and sank to his knees. He doubled over, shaking slightly as blood started leaking out of the wound on his side. Perfect, Doc had found his weak spot. He strode over to the shivering man, trident raised when Scar’s voice made him pause.

“Doc, stop, you’ve won.” Scar appeared at Doc’s side, and he kneeled down next to Herobrine, who was glaring up at them with eyes filled with pure resentment. He offered a hand out but was ignored. Doc glared back. He wanted to impale the man, but Scar had a point. Herobrine looked rough, even before the scrap had started, and even more so now. He lowered his trident, staring back into Herobrine’s eyes to intimidate him and keep him down.

Herobrine was not intimidated, however. He’d felt the energy radiating from Doc’s arm while the Creeper-cyborg-thing had been attempting to choke him out. Doc’s robotic parts were redstone powered, and his visit to the mustache man’s base had given him a valuable reminder of what few abilities he had remaining. He leapt forward, making Scar jump back with a yelp. His hand gripped onto Doc’s metal arm tightly, and he felt the sparks of energy gather around his hand. He released all of the energy, overloading the arm and making it spasm uncontrollably. Doc gasped in surprise, and Herobrine used that as a window to pull back, intending to overbalance him and make his escape as he was down. 

Instead, he’d misjudged his grip, and the arm tore right off.

The three stood there, bewildered at the situation. Doc was looking between Herobrine, and the limb he was holding, Scar's mouth was agape in shock, and Herobrine was just staring at the arm, seemingly completely thrown off at the turn of events. He looked between the arm and Doc, then improvised, slamming it as hard as he could across Doc’s face. The cyborg collapsed like a sack of rocks, and Herobrine dropped the arm and fled.

He leapt and slammed his hands into the wall, digging his fingers into the concrete, and launched himself upwards, digging out a trail of handholds as he went. His wounds stung with the sudden exertion, and his lungs burnt as he tried his best to draw in enough oxygen. With one final heave, he smashed his way through the glass ceiling and pulled himself over onto solid ground, collapsing on his back and gasping for air. The brief respite did not last long however; an explosion from underground signalled that someone was hot on his trail, and a moment later, the thick iron doors on the other side of the room shifted open, revealing Doc.

He had recovered quickly from the blow, but had not escaped unscathed, as a new gash that cut its way across his face was leaking some blood into his eye. The way he was glaring daggers at Herobrine sent a spike of adrenaline into his exhausted limbs. He scrambled to his feet and set off towards the open door, dodging around some wooden platforms and running out onto the runway. The bright sun made him squint as his eyes adjusted to the brighter light level, but he could make out the hundreds of flowers that were growing around the asphalt. He slowed down, plotting his next course of action that would take him as far away from the angry trident-wielding creeper that was hot on his trail as possible. He would be able to get away faster if he stuck to the runway, but the flowers would offer cover.

However, as it turned out, there was no time to choose, as a whistle of something sailing through the air came from behind him, and Herobrine barely had time to turn around to look at the source before the trident impaled itself straight through his neck. The force of the projectile took him clean off his feet, slamming his injured side into the runway and pinning him down as the tines of the trident dug into the asphalt. He tried to let out a scream, but the sound came out as a hissing gurgle instead. His hand grabbed at the trident, tugging it in a desperate attempt to free himself. Heavy footsteps approached from behind him, and the trident was suddenly torn from his throat. He watched the shadow of Doc loom over him for a minute, then it receded as he turned and walked away. The footsteps faded into silence, leaving Herobrine alone on the runway, a puddle of blood spreading out under his head. 

After a while, he slowly pushed himself to his knees, cringing at the blood that poured down his front onto the ground. Injuries to the neck were the only ones that would incapacitate him, even when he was in his prime. Now… it was certain death. He got to his feet and started walking, not paying attention to the direction he was going. The sunlight dimmed as it disappeared behind heavy clouds, and rain started pattering down just as he reached the treeline. He turned around and looked out onto the runways. Puddles had started forming, washing away the trail of blood that he’d left behind. His gaze lingered for a few moments, then he turned away and headed deeper into the trees. Soon, his head was spinning from the blood loss, and he found himself having to stop every few meters to regain his footing.

  
When he finally emerged from the forest, the sky had darkened yet further, and lightning was arching across the clouds. The rain was beating hard down on Herobrine’s back, and he was finding it hard to stay on his feet. He could feel his strength draining from him in the blood that was still dripping from his neck, and a gust of wind sent him stumbling into the wall of a building. A quick check around revealed he had wandered near a village, and his eyes drifted sluggishly to the building he was leaning against, revealing it to be a large barn. The rain started falling ever harder, driving him back to his feet to try and find shelter. Around the front of the barn, Herobrine found a large door that was slightly ajar. He slotted his fingers into the gap and pulled back, and the door slowly creaked open.

The inside was dimly lit, with shulker boxes stuck to the wall on his right, but it was dry and out of the rain. He went inside, letting the door close behind him. The howling of the wind went quiet, and the chill of the water dripping off of his hair and jeans sunk into his bones. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered while looking around the barn. There was a ladder bolted to a beam, and Herobrine grabbed the rungs and started to climb. At the top, there were several piles of hay, and he wasted no time in burying himself in one of them. He lay there, shivering and waiting for the warmth to seep back into his body, and tried to summon a small flame. A puff of smoke appeared, but nothing else happened. Herobrine dropped his hand and closed his eyes. He knew he had just resigned himself to dying, but the thought brought him an oddly peaceful feeling. In the end, it was not the hunters that brought about his downfall, and that felt like a victory. He felt a smile twitch across his face as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

It might have ultimately cost him his life, but he'd _ won. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming close to the point where I run out of pre-written and fully edited chapters D: lets hope I can speed up my ability to write.
> 
> Also sorry not sorry :P


	7. The hunt is on.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I revel in your misery as I do not provide an update to our Boi, instead tangenting off to create more bad situations for him.

The smoke from the explosion was clearing, revealing a crater where the time machine once stood. Impulse was digging through the debris to fish out the diamond block that had powered the machine, citing how long it had taken to acquire it. Grian absentmindedly agreed to the sentiment, but his thoughts were elsewhere. During the hippie’s unexpected journey back to Alpha, he had spotted Herobrine lurking in the distance. Yet the Legend should still be locked away in Xisuma’s makeshift dungeon. Had he come with them? Or was the one he saw the past version?

Would he perhaps recognize any of them?

Grian shook his head to clear it, just in time to tune back in to Ren exclaiming his need for a nap. They all needed some rest, Alpha was a tough world to survive in. Impulse and Ren had started down the path, and Grian tagged along behind, Trying to not let his mind overflow with questions again.

“Oh look at that! You guys are just showing up at the right time! Hey hippies!” Grian looked up to see Ren and Impulse standing at the barrier that blocked the entrance to Area 77, peering in. On the other side, Doc and Scar were standing on a raised platform, with False standing below them.

“Wait a minute, can we come in?” Ren asked, with Grian echoing the question.

“Come on in guys!” Doc answered cheerfully. Around him, fireworks started shooting from dispensers, exploding in the air to the various exclamations of confusion and delight from the audience. Questions were thrown around until Doc stepped in to silence them.

“Listen, let the man speak. Please, Mr. - uh - Angry Eyes! Let them know.” Scar looked out over the small group that were gathered below him.

“Welcome! To Area 77 Park! That is right, we have opened an amusement park of wonders and amazing things. Currently we a-” Scar’s voice merged into background noise as Grian’s thoughts got ahead of him again. He couldn’t help but notice that Doc looked a bit rough, with the suit he was wearing having several tears in it, and a cut on his face above his eye. It was only then the meaning of what Scar had said sunk in, and he quickly had thought of more questions. This time though, they could be asked.

“Hold up hold up, This.. This isn't some sort of facility this iiis… part of Hermitland?”

“Well, there is some dangerous stuff you will need to be careful around-” Scar started to answer, before Impulse suddenly cut in “Hey Doc, what happened to you?.”

Doc looked down at himself before answering. “Like Captain Angry Eyes said, there is some dangerous stuff you gotta look out for.” Grian was about to ask another question when all of their communicators pinged at once. They took them out to read the message, then shot glances between one another.

**<Xisumavoid> Urgent meeting. Please come to the shopping district ASAP.**

“Well, uh, see you there, bye bye!” Doc turned and ran back into the facility, with Scar following him behind. Ren frowned after them.

“Grian, are you sure your time machine took us to the right timeline?” He looked over at this fellow hippie friend, noticing how far away from reality he seemed. He waved his hand in front of Grian’s eyes, making him blink.

“Uh, sorry, yeah?”

“What’s gotten into you man? You seem out of it.” Ren thought for a moment, and had a sudden realization.

“Is this about the Herobrine guy? You seemed pretty spooked at that.”

“Yeah, he… I think he’s been following us?” Ren cocked his head to one side, and Impulse and False both appeared either side of him, interested in what Grian had to say.

“Guys, I think. Ren, do you remember that person I found in my house on Sahara Street?” Ren nodded. “I think.. that person actually is the _ real _ Herobrine. What happened back in Alpha basically confirmed it for me. And I don't know whether he followed us all the way back to alpha or if that was a past version, but…” He shuddered, looking up at the looks on the other’s faces. False had an incredulous expression, but that was to be expected as she had not experienced any of the weird things Grian had seen. Impulse was stroking his chin a bit while frowning, while Ren simply looked a bit dumbfounded.

“You seriously believe that myth?” False asked. Ren answered her before Grian could.

“A few days ago, some weird default skin guy appeared in Grian’s house. And apparently that guy can... Uh, list for me Grian?”

“He jumped out of a 60 block tall window and landed unharmed, teleported away from me, incinerated Cub, according to Mumbo can do some sort of thing with Redstone, maybe even replicate a Totem of Undying on other people, and he was bearing a huge injury that would have killed anyone else.” Grian listed the strange occurrences off on his fingers. “And to top it all off, he certainly looks like a Herobrine. Glowing eyes and all. If a bit skinny.”

False’s face had taken on a frown as she absorbed the new information. Impulse suddenly held his communicator out in front of all of them and shook it slightly.

“Haven’t we got a place to be? Save the storytelling for afterwards.” They looked at it, then all nodded in unison. Grian opened his elytra and took off, flying towards the closest nether portal with the other three following closely behind.

  
\--

Xisuma watched as the Hermits started appearing. First, surprisingly enough, was Mumbo who, despite all of his overly close encounters with a renamed zombie lately, still bore a slight mark where his scar had previously been. Such a thing was a rare occurrence, only happening in a serious case like the loss of a body part, like what happened with Doc.

“Fancy seeing you here!” X teased him. Mumbo shrugged in response.

“With what happened a few days ago, I thought it would be important to come to this one.”

“And the others aren’t?” Mumbo rolled his eyes, knowing that Xisuma was just jesting him. He sat down to wait for others, but had soon gone and started pacing all over the place the way he did. 

Others started coming in, with Iskall and Stress arriving at the same time. Soon, Cub had joined, and the expectant conversation had sprouted, each one wondering what was so crucial that an emergency meeting had to be called. Even TFC had appeared at the edge of the meeting place, keeping to himself like usual. X looked to the sky as more people arrived, hoping to see a red sweater soon. Grian was the one he needed the most here, as he knew as much as X did, perhaps even more, about the matter that was concerning him. There was some wooshes of a nether portal behind him, and he turned to find the person he had been waiting for. With a sigh of relief, he strode over to Grian.

“Grian! I’ve been waiting for you!” Grian jumped.

“Wai... what... why?” 

“You’ll see” X replied cryptically. He turned back to the rest of the hermits, counting the heads. Almost everyone was here. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

“Okay, is everyone here or on their way?” a few faces were missing, such as Scar and Doc. However, Cub looked up from his communicator and said

“Scar says he and Doc will be here shortly.” As if on cue, the forms of the hermits appeared in the Nether portal. Doc stepped out while looking around somewhat nervously, which was oddly out of character for him. Scar followed behind, stopping near Cub. With the final two present, X could begin.

“So. If you have been paying attention to the chat, you may have noticed some odd things that happened a few days ago.” Cub raised his hand, and X nodded to him.

“Yes Cub, that’s exactly what I am talking about.” He quickly said before Cub even had the chance to open his mouth.

“Is this anything to do with Herobrine?” False suddenly asked, a question which was met with a few snickers. Xisuma looked False in the eye and simply said “Yes.” The laughter died off, and now everyone was looking among each other, confused. X turned and gestured at Grian, who gulped nervously.

“I believe Grian has more information than I do, having been face to face with… Him.” Grian stepped forward, looking slightly panicked.

“What do you need X?” He asked.

“Mumbo had met him too, right Mumbo?” The mentioned hermit started and looked up from the comparator he was fiddling with.

“Uh yes. Yes I did.” Cub raised his hand again.

“I have too. Are you going to ask if any of us had seen him?” Ren raised his hand as well, and Impulse half raised his before lowering it again.

“Partly, yes, but it was more going to be a request to keep an eye out for him. You see, I did not invite him here, so he somehow got in by himself. And as admin, it concerns me greatly to have someone we don’t know running around. Especially someone who can do what he can.” 

“Wait, I thought he was imprisoned?” Grian asked. X cringed.

“Yeaah... But just now I went to check on him and… There was a hole in the wall. No guest.”

“B-but that was obsidian?” Grian spluttered. “Are you sure he didn’t have any tools on him?”

“Positive” Xisuma answered. “He broke out with his bare hands. So… If any of you see him, approach with extreme caution.” Doc stood suddenly, clearing his throat.

“I think… I know what you are talking about.” He went towards Xisuma and stopped, then suddenly pulled something out and slammed it on the ground in front of him. The hermits clustered around to see what it was. The mangled bit of metal looked oddly familiar, and it was at that moment X realized what was so odd about Doc. He was holding his trident in the wrong hand, and the sleeve of his jacket was half torn off to reveal nothing underneath.

The broken object was his arm.

Some of the hermits recoiled in shock. 

“This guy. He is dangerous. Crazy dangerous.” Doc said slowly. Grian was staring at the arm with wide eyes.

“You... fought him?” He stammered. Doc nodded.

“Just after you and the hippies had taken the time machine, we and Scar found him hanging around there. He attacked me. With fire.” He turned to Cub. “Like you, right?”

“Yes. I’ve been searching for him ever since my encounter.” Cub stepped forward, and dropped a few pieces of paper on the ground next to Doc’s arm. “And I also found him.”

X grabbed one and turned it over, revealing it to be photos. They depicted the man in question in the nether, one surrounded by two pigmen, another staring directly into the camera and a few more shots of him walking. The close up shot prominently displayed the obvious white stare of the man. X felt himself shudder a bit at the sight, a feeling that was shared with several other hermits.

“He was going along the tunnel to hermitville, and took down one of my drones while doing so. I intercepted him at the portal but he got away from me, evidently escaping into area 77. He sure has a mighty strong kick in those legs…" he paused, with some of the audience noticing the odd way he was standing, indicating that some part of him was hurting.

"I also caught him in the act of escaping X’s box.” Cub continued, handing a few more photos to Xisuma. They showed Herobrine emerging from behind the obsidian prison, looking at his hand. The next showed him looking out over the sea, and the next a soaking wet Herobrine climbing out of the water. The final depicted him in the process of going into the portal.

“He seems to dislike water. If the portal wasn’t there maybe he might not have gotten away.” Whispers of speculation had begun to circulate among them as they formulated theories with what information they had. Grian turned around and started to explain every bit of what he had seen of the mysterious Herobrine, with Mumbo joining in on details that Grian was not present for. 

“Are you sure that this isn’t just a big joke?” False asked him after listening to the slightly scrambled description the two Architechs had given.

“When me, Ren and Impulse took a trip back to Alpha… I saw him there too. With that and everything else… I am like 99.9999% sure this is legit.” He looked around nervously.

“To be honest I’m kind of scared…”

“What do you think he wants to do to us?” Impulse questioned. “Has he done anything else other than kill Cub and escape prison?”

“Yes.”

The Hermits all turned to stare at Doc. Doc was hanging back with a dark look in his eye, glaring at the headshot of the man as if he was trying to set the photo on fire.

“I saw him teleport too. He used it to try and catch me off guard during our fight. He had this crazy look in his eyes, he just wanted to _ kill me_. I… I would not trust him. If any of you encounter him, be careful.” he pointed to the broken arm on the floor. “Or else this will happen to you.”

X listened to his monologue, growing more concerned with each sentence. The rest were also getting nervous. 

“So you and… Him… got into a bad fight, it seems. Are you okay? Other than the obvious…” He vaguely indicated the arm. Doc nodded.

“I’m good. He on the other hand...” He let out a chuckle. “Lets just say I won.” There was some impressed looks thrown around. Doc had fought _ Herobrine _ and _ won _.

“How strong was he?” Mumbo asked.

“Strong enough to break concrete in a single punch." Scar had approached Xisuma, with Cub following closely behind. “It was almost like he’s in creative mode, the way he just broke through tough materials like it was nothing. I don’t want him to cause any more damage to our home, so me and Cub want to help track him down. He’s already sent our drones out to scan several areas.” He looked to Doc “Are you okay for him to send drones into area 77? We need to figure out where he went after he fled.” Doc looked uncomfortable at the idea, but nodded hesitantly.

“As long as they stay out of the facilities. We can search there ourselves.” Cub seemed a bit annoyed at the limitation, but agreed.

“Where did you leave him?” Scar asked. “Why did you not take him to a containment area?”

“I…” Doc sighed. “I think I let my victory get to my head a bit… I left him on the runway leading to Keralis’s house on the hill, then realised that maybe containing him would be a good idea. Then when I got back he was gone. There was some blood trails but the rain we had earlier had washed a lot of it away so I couldn’t follow it…” He tried to hide his face in his hand, only to realise that hand did not exist anymore. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine Doc.” Scar reassured him. “With Cub’s help we should be able to track him down in no time!”

X left them to discuss their plans and turned back to the rest of the hermits. 

“So, have we all agreed, if you see Him, tell me straight away.” There was a clamour of confirmation from the crowd. “Good. Good luck everybody, and have a nice day.”

The Hermits dispersed into the air and portal, each eager to get back to their tasks. Soon X was left alone in the shopping district, watching the chat on his communicator. Doc’s recount of his scrap had him extremely worried. This trespasser needed to be contained as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really cannot write conversations... please forgive me I do not have much IRL experience.


	8. The eyes see all.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright alright, I'm not that evil. Here's the update on our boi you've all been waiting for.

_ He was falling. _

_ The familiar green was rushing to meet him, and he landed with ease. _

** _Try building more_ **

_ He was happy to. He placed blocks, then noticed that the grey was not as dark anymore. The lumpy texture was gone, replaced with a smooth one. _

_ He placed something else. It was rough and brown, crumbly under his hands. It was a colour other than grey. _

_ He placed another new thing, lighter brown, made of straight lines. Planks. Then he placed a familiar lumpy grey. The final thing he found was a small not-block, with green things sprouting off of a brown middle. _

_ The new colours gave him new ideas. He instantly got to work, swapping out the blocks of his tower with the new ones. Aftwards, he stepped back to admire his work. _

_ Look what I built! He exclaimed. But there was no one to hear him. _

_ Could there be others to see what he had done? _

** _Good_ **

_ He was falling once again. _

The sensation of warm metal being pressed into his hand stirred Herobrine from unconsciousness. He struggled to open his eyes, only managing to crack one open slightly to see what was going on. The hay and wooden planks around his head were stained with blood, and he could feel yet more of it clogging his throat as he struggled to take in a breath. A weak cough sent some clots spilling out into the floor, followed by a new bloody dribble that escaped his mouth.

Herobrine gripped at the object he was holding tightly, trying to ignore the pain that came from every inch of his body. He blinked slowly, waiting for the blurry scene around him to come into clarity. The shadow he was trying to focus on shifted a bit and then vanished from his view. A person? He tried to say something, but all that came out was a strained gurgle, so he closed his mouth and attempted to lift his head instead. A moment of effort told him that he didn't have the strength to do even that. All he could do was lie there, totally at the mercy of whatever has found him.

He shut his eye again, listening to the sounds around him. Cows could be heard lowing outside, with the soft thump of their tail brushing against the back door every now and then. The storm seemed to have subsided, and the wind whistled through the open entrance of the barn, making the door creak as it swung in the breeze. There were some light footfalls from down below, along with some quiet clunks of shulkers, confirming Herobrine's suspicion that someone was here with him. The footsteps went out of the door, which creaked shut behind them, leaving nothing but the cows moos to fill the silence. 

He was still alive, just about. Typical. In the quiet he could hear his own heart beating, trying it’s best to keep him going. In doing so it would just be pumping more blood out of his wounds. How he had not bled out yet was beyond him; he was pretty sure there was more blood in his lungs and on the floor right now than in his veins. 

The door opened again after a short while, and there was the sound of something climbing the ladder. Herobrine heard his heart rate increase as he felt the presence of another person over him, and his grip on the metal object tightened even further. There was a small popping noise, and the sound of something light hitting the floor. Then suddenly, a searing pain shot through him, originating from the mortal injuries on his neck.

He wanted to scream, but with his throat as destroyed as it was all he could manage with a gurgling hiss. It was torture, he was sure of it. He'd been found by one of those who hunted him, and they wanted to make his final moments as painful as possible. Despair and anger filled his mind, and an unexpected energy coursed through him, enough for him to push himself off of the hay. He opened his eyes and fixed a death glare at his assailant, anticipating the leering grin peeking out from under the helmet of a hunter. 

He was not expecting an ** _ENORMOUS_ ** pair of eyes to be blinking back in his face. The person leaned back a bit, with a bottle that was dripping some bright pink fluid held at an angle in his hand. The shock of subverted expectations had frozen Herobrine in place. Then he scrambled back with a garbled yell, mirrored by the bug-eyed human. The bottle clinked as it hit the wooden planks and rolled away, dropping off the side and smashing on the ground below. The sharp sound was followed by an awkward silence, punctuated only by Herobrine’s laboured breaths as the two stared at each other. After a while, the person blinked, then smiled and gave a little wave.

“You're awake! I did not know you were awake. Hi!” Herobrine narrowed his eyes, looking down at the droplets of whatever liquid they had been pouring on him. He slowly drew his finger through one of the drops and inspected the liquid closely.

“It’s a healing potion! You looked hurt!” His eyes snapped back to the other person. They were smiling at him warmly, in a way that did not hide any evil intent underneath. 

“You okay now? Did it help at all?” Herobrine felt around his neck. There were still deep wounds puncturing the skin, but a test swallow told him that the potion had worked it’s magic a little bit; It hurt like hell, but he wasn't drowning in his own blood anymore. He slowly nodded his head once in reply, still suspicious of this newcomer. They shifted and looked down to the ground below, and with an exclamation of “Oh no, what a mess…” dropped off the side and landed with a soft thump.

Herobrine leaned forward, and regretted it as his vision blurred. He crawled towards the edge and peered over to watch them go, then shuffled back to lay down in the hay and take deep breaths to try and make the dizziness go away. A few attempts at counting the nails in the plank ceiling above him later, he opted to just close his eyes instead, listening to the clunks and thuds as the person below worked on something, probably clearing the mess left behind by the broken bottle. After a while, his head finally stopped swimming, leaving behind an extreme feeling of weakness he felt in all of his limbs. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, wincing as the air rasped past his raw throat. There was the clink of something being placed down beside him, and he opened his eyes to once again meet the huge gaze of the other person. He smiled at Herobrine.

“I’m Keralis! Hi!” He pushed something closer to Herobrine, still smiling. “I got more potions if you want.” Herobrine struggled and turned his head, and caught the top of a bottle out of the corner of his eye. He exhaled in an attempted grunt and flopped his head back, just wanting to go back to sleep, and the presence of Keralis disappeared as if he had gotten the message of him wanting to be left alone. The door of the barn groaned and clicked shut, leaving Herobrine by himself in the barn. He closed his eyes again, trying to not make himself dizzy from overthinking everything.

This Keralis guy seemed friendly. Whatever he had inflicted on him turned out to just be the rapid healing of a health potion. And he had given… Herobrine lifted his hand that was still clasped around the mystery object to try and take a look at it. It resembled a small winged villager, made entirely out of gold, with tiny emeralds as eyes. An undying totem? Keralis had seen how bad of a state he was in and given him a safeguard just in case.

Herobrine shuddered and lightly tossed the totem away. The intentions of this bug-eyed person seemed good, but it wasn’t clear if he knew what Herobrine was. The situation was a familiar one, someone comes across him, offers help, then instantly turns against him when they learn who he is. In the rare occasion that does not happen, everyone else turns against said person and they are killed in the most horrific ways possible. And he ends up a prisoner again. Then he loses his mind as a prisoner, snaps, murders everyone involved, maybe even goes on a rampage or two, finally regains his sanity only to find that yet another story of the evil deeds of Herobrine had been recorded, and now more people are out to get him, and he gets injured again, someone might try and help him, and they-

He sat up and buried his head in his hands, trying to still the whirlpool of thoughts before they spiraled back into an all too familiar terrible cycle.

“Are you okay?” His eyes flew open to see Keralis sat next to him, watching him intently. His heart jumped in shock, and he attempted to let out a yelp of surprise, but only managed a squeaky hiss. He hadn't felt the others presence, or even heard him come back! Keralis’s response was a small giggle. 

“Very jumpy for a supposed dangerous person, aren’t you?” 

Dangerous? Herobrine felt his heart drop. Seems his reputation had reached this place after all. With the fact he’d killed one person directly, three from his actions and fought another, it was none too surprising. He looked down at his knees, and started to pick at the edge of a hole in his jeans to avoid making eye contact with Keralis. 

It did not stop him from feeling the unnervingly huge stare of the man, however, and it was making him feel incredibly self conscious. Almost as if Keralis could see and read all of Herobrine's secrets just by looking at him, and was doing so right now. And with eyes like that, Herobrine wouldn't be surprised if he actually could. A thread came loose, and he wrapped it around his finger and tugged back, freeing the string with a sharp snap.

"Let's a see…" 

Herobrine looked back to Keralis just in time to see a sword be pulled out and rested on the floor, it's tip facing towards him. Keralis narrowed his eyes at him, watching him intently. Herobrine felt the breath catch in his throat, and the disappointing feeling of another betrayal sink into his stomach. He knew it. He couldn't trust anyone, no matter how friendly they seemed they would always try to kill him as soon as they got the chance. He had to get out of here, these people were now out for his blood, they had weakened him and cornered him in a place with nowhere to run, he had to fight his way out, he had no choice he will not die he-

"Well that confirms it!" The sword was dragged away and dropped off the side of the platform.

Herobrine's panicked breathing slowed a bit, and he looked around to see several straws of hay were smouldering, a few even on fire. Keralis smothered one of the flames out and grinned at him.

"You're not dangerous. Just scared! You think we will hurt you, so you try to defend yourself! There's nothing crazy about that." He chuckled. "Doc is the crazy one…" He held out his hand, only to be met with a distrustful glare. His smile faltered a bit, then returned.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. I promise! Pinky promise!” He waited for a few more moments, then dropped his hand, figuring that Herobrine would not return the gesture any time soon. Sighing, he turned away and started to head down the ladder.

“Well, if you need anything, I’ll be around.” Herobrine watched him go with narrowed eyes. When the door of the barn shut, he laid back, tracing the grain of the wood in the ceiling with his eyes. Inside his head, a huge wave of conflicting thoughts and feelings was crashing against him.

_ Can I.. trust this person? _

He wanted to, it was frustrating to be constantly suspecting everyone of ill intentions whilst also wishing to seek companionship with somebody. Yet so much trauma from past experiences made it hard to break that wall down. Although, for some reason, he felt more inclined to do so with this person. Something about him… maybe he’d been hypnotized by those eyes. Or maybe he was still out of it after losing a lot of blood. That was the more likely explanation. 

The air around him was thick and warm, comfortably reminding him of simpler times. If he closed his eyes, he could almost feel himself

_ falling. _

_ It was a familiar sensation by now. He landed easily. His hole was still there, as was his tower. _

** _Look around_ **

_ But nothing had changed right? He was the only one who could change this world. He walked towards the tower and went inside. Why look around? _

_ He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. A person. Like him. He was a person? The person was skipping around, seemingly trying to get through the wall. He went over and poked the person to try and get a response, but there was none. The look on its face was blank, mindless. _

_ It wasn't what he wanted, but it was a start. He was no longer alone. He went back outside into the thick blue haze. More persons were out there, jumping around with no destination. _

** _Let's try this_ **

_ They all stopped suddenly, then turned to look at him. He felt himself shrink back from the stares of them. Then like clockwork, they started towards him. _

_ He went back into his tower, only to find the one in there also in a similar state. The light from the entrance was blocked by dozens of bodies as they all filed in. _

_ What was going on? Were they going to hurt him? The persons crowded around him, pinning him to the wall. He felt the pure panic rising in him as he tried to fight them off. _

** _Not good. Oh dear._ **

_ One of them opened their mouth and let out a horrible groan. He screamed. _

_ Get them off, get them off get them off GET THEM OFF- _


	9. Armour standing and understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some walls are finally broken down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys, it was just a nightmare.

Herobrine sat up, gasping for air as the cold sweat dripped down his body. Moans were emanating through the wall, as well as the hiss of flames. He looked around, worried that the source would be the barn around him. However, the straw and wood looked unsinged. He must have fallen asleep at some point, as the sounds of the undead burning outside signalled the coming of the morning. With a quiet groan, Herobrine rubbed his eyes, shaking off the lingering memories of the nightmare he'd just experienced.

The sun was filtering in through the planks that built the wall of the barn, casting thin lines of warm brightness over his legs. He looked down beside him and spotted the potions that had been left for him earlier and swallowed, feeling just how dry his mouth was. The potions were swiftly uncorked and drunk, and the feeling of the potion healing his throat sent a spike of pain through him. He cringed, and forced himself to swallow the last bit. The bottle dropped to the floor with a clink as he clenched his fists against the pain. Soon, it had subsided enough for him to relax. 

He sat there for a few minutes, gathering himself together before he went forward and climbed down the ladder. Slowly, he rested his weight on his feet, steadying himself against the pillar as his legs shook. Then, he went over to the door and opened it, stepping out into the sun. To his right, the figure of a zombie fell into a pile of ashes, which dispersed with a poof. As he turned to look at the has-zombeen, he spotted a wolf laying on the ground, soaking in the sun. He knelt down beside it, and held a hand out for the dog to sniff. It did so tentatively, then let out a low growl, causing him to retract his hand with a sigh. He quickly left the wolf alone before it decided to find out what he tasted like.

A few voices from nearby caught Herobrine’s attention, and he went towards them. One of them sounded like Keralis, another was a voice he did not recognize. The path ahead of him lead through a gateway built into a building, and on the other side, Keralis and another person were standing, chatting with each other. Herobrine hid himself behind the wall to watch. They were fussing around with an armour stand, both of them holding an open book. He could see runes of magic connecting the book to the armour stand, and every so often the stand would shift its position.

It looked as if Keralis was being taught how to use the magic book by the other, and seemed to be amazed at every little thing that happened to it. The other shifted around to the other side, revealing themselves to be a girl, with long ginger hair decorated in a flower crown, a torn, open shouldered dark blue shirt, black shorts and long black and white striped socks. She also had a strangely pale, almost green tint to her skin, and the exposed ribs peeking out from under the shirt confirmed that this person did not seem to be alive in the conventional sense. A zombie, like those who came out at night. Although she did not seem to be affected by the sun like her mindless brethren tended to be.

The two worked on the armour stand scene, adding more stands and shifting them around until a nice little diorama of two guards sitting on the bridge had been constructed. They stood around, admiring their handiwork before starting back towards the gate. Herobrine quickly took cover behind a nearby pillar. They stopped at the inside wall of the gate, and the girl started to guide Keralis through a few more magic book tricks concerning a tripwire hook she'd placed. 

"Give him some arms, actually, you give him some arms. And have a sword." Keralis fiddled with the book, and some arms materialised on the armour stand in front of him. He pulled out a sword and slotted it into the wooden handle, then opened the book again.

"Now hit 'toolrack'." The girl directed.

"Toolrack…" the armour stand vanished, and the sword shifted to hook its handle into the tripwire hook. Keralis stepped back, exclaiming his amazement at the trick while the zombie demonstrated the ease of pulling out and replacing the sword to its holder. He went and tried himself, only to accidentally stick his book in the place of the sword several times, amid the giggles of his companion. A few more moments of demonstrating the power of the book, she turned around unexpectedly.

"Don't mock me or I'll start mocking yooo-ooOOOAARGG MY GOD!"

There was no time to duck before the book smacked Herobrine square in the forehead. He stumbled back with a grunt and fell over. Keralis looked away from testing the toolrack with his shovel to see what the commotion was about. 

"Is that- why is he here?!" She shouted, seemingly a bit spooked.

"Oh, hi! Did you get bored in the barn?" He skipped over and held his hand out to Herobrine. Herobrine narrowed his eyes, but slowly took the offered hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. Keralis beamed at that.

"Heey! It's progress!" He turned to the girl. "This is ZombieCleo. She's a good friend of mine. Cleo, this is… uh… hair brine…?"

"Herobrine." Cleo corrected, glaring daggers at the person she named. He found himself slinking behind the pillar slightly to shelter himself from the accusing stare.

"Isn't he dangerous? I thought X said to stay away and tell him if you see him." Cleo stated, pulling out her sword and pointing it at Herobrine.

"No, he's not dangerous! Put the sword away, that's a big no no." Keralis attempted to get in between the two.

"Then explain why he looks ready to burn us to a crisp?" He looked around to see Herobrine with his fists aflame held in front of him.

"Because you're scaring him with your sword!" Keralis answered.

Cleo looked between Keralis, Herobrine and her sword, then sheathed it with a grumpy sounding "Fine." Herobrine relaxed a bit and let the fire die out, although he was still on edge. He and Cleo eyed each other suspiciously, then turned away from each other.

"Are you going to tell X at all?"

"Yes, after we finished I was going to. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't calling Sashwhammy all the way here for a corpse." Cleo looked over Herobrine's body and noted the wounds on his chest and back, as well as the huge one on his side and the puncture marks on his neck.

"Is that why he has no shirt on. Are you really so into undressing people?" She joked.

"No! I found him like that!" Keralis replied with a laugh. Herobrine looked down, trying to hide the blush that had spread across his face. He spotted the book that had been thrown at him and bent over to grab it, then slowly offered it back to Cleo, who rather roughly took it from his hands.

"Uh, thanks?" She backed away, clasping the book to her chest. Keralis looked between the two, noting how they were shooting hostile glances at each other, and once again attempted to defuse the situation.

"Hey hey hey now, they're nice once you get to know them!" He focused on Herobrine. "That goes both ways."

"Sure buddy." Keralis looked over to Cleo, who had her communicator out and was typing something.

"Wait, you're telling Sashwammy now?"

"Yeah." The message was sent, and she pushed the device back into her pocket, ignoring the beeps that signalled a wave of new messages.“Where have you been hiding him?”

“He hid himself in my barn.” Keralis pointed to the building. Herobrine looked back towards it longingly, regretting ever having set foot outside of it. He was so busted…

"Well. May as well keep him there until X arrives." She prodded Herobrine, who took that as a message to start walking. He went towards the barn, with Keralis and Cleo following him. The wolf had been joined by a companion, and both of them growled at him as he passed, making him swallow nervously. However, they stayed where they were. The door of the barn opened with a creak, and Herobrine was ushered inside. He immediately climbed the ladder to take his previous place of huddled in the corner. Cleo followed, and stopped when she saw the mess that surrounded him.

"There is a lot of blood up here."

"Yea, he was not in a good state." Keralis's voice came from below. Herobrine curled himself into a tight ball and hid his face in his knees. Cleo sat down beside him.

“So, you’re the big guy everyone’s after, huh?” He gave no acknowledgement. 

“For someone said to be dangerous, you sure are looking sorry for yourself.” Still no answer.

“Ey, quit ignoring me!” 

“Stop being rude to him!” Keralis butted in to the one sided conversation. Cleo sighed.

“Yeah… sorry.” Herobrine lifted his head a bit, then buried it back in his knees. Keralis sat down on his other side, smiling.

“Are you feeling better? Since you were out and about. I assume you got a bit bored in here?” Herobrine shifted to be looking at Keralis, then nodded slightly.

"Who hurt you this badly?" Cleo asked. Her answer was silence, but it seemed Herobrine wanted to answer. He opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again and looked away. He then pointed to his left eye. Someone with their eye being a defining feature.

"Iskall?" He shook his head.

"Doc?" Keralis asked, and was met with a nod. He then looked over his arm, then pointed to a particularly prominent scar.

"Scar?" Cleo guessed, to be met with another nod.

"Doc and Scar, the guys from area 77!" Keralis concluded. Herobrine shrugged and nodded in response.

“Of course! Doc said he’d fought Herobrine, and won the fight. Gee, I can see how he won… Can you talk?" Cleo asked suddenly. Herobrine answered with a shrug. He can, but he often found himself unable to in the presence of other people. And right now, a trident through the vocal cords was not helping his situation. He looked down, feeling rather pathetic. God of destruction, he wasn't a god; he couldn't even talk to another person without chickening out.

"I'm taking that as a no…" Cleo sat back, thinking about something.

"How about writing? If I get you a book and quill, would you write stuff?" She got a nod as an answer. Keralis jumped off the platform, and could be heard shuffling through shulker below. He emerged back holding the aforementioned item, and handed it to Herobrine. He quickly wrote out what he was wanting to say.

_ 'I am able to talk, I just find it hard to do so with other people for some reason' _

He held the book out to show them, and their expectant looks turned to one of confusion.

"Uhh…" a quick look at the book told him he'd accidentally written in the ancient language. Oops.

He re wrote the sentence, making sure to use English letters, then showed the book again. They read the sentence, then nodded understandingly.

“So, all this time you weren't stalking people… you were just too shy to say hi?” Cleo asked. Herobrine dropped the book and buried his face in his hands out of sheer embarrassment. She certainly caught onto that quickly. The laughter of Keralis and Cleo rang out around the barn as they came to terms with this.

“To think we’ve all been afraid of him when he’s actually been more afraid of us!” Cleo wiped a tear from her eye. Keralis had stopped laughing, and was trying to get Cleo to stop as well.

“We shouldn’t laugh. It’s mean.” He looked over at Herobrine to see he had curled himself back into a tight ball. “Oh no, oh dear.” Cleo took notice of his reaction, and shut her mouth.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" She said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. He did not react, causing her and Keralis to exchange worried glances. They had obviously struck a nerve and upset him. A quick change of subject was needed. Keralis had an idea and hopped off the platform to grab something. He came back, holding a baked potato.

"You hungry?" That question definitely piqued Herobrine's interest. Keralis held the baked potato out towards him, and he felt his mouth water. His stomach let out a quiet growl as if to hammer in the fact that he was indeed famished. However, a quick swallow told him of a problem; his throat was too damaged to handle much of anything. Eating was out of the question. He sadly stared longingly at the potato, then turned away.

"Why not? We haven't poisoned it." Cleo inquired. He uncurled himself and pointed at his neck, then shook his head.

"Oh… " she sighed, looking sad. "You physically can't eat, even if you want to. Wow, you are not in a good place right now are you…" The comment was met with an uncomfortable silence.

This entire exchange had quickly derailed into a train wreck...

The awkward air was very suddenly broken as the door of the barn slammed open, making all three jump.

"Keralis, are you in here?" A new voice called out. Keralis popped his head over the side of the platform and waved.

"Sashwammyvoid!!"

"There you are, my friend!" There was some heavy thuds as the newcomer climbed the ladder, and Herobrine shrank back in terror as they appeared at the top. Tall, muscular and covered in green armour, they looked like they could snap his spine like a twig. Under the purple visor of the helmet covering their head, he could see a scar cutting it’s way through one of their eyes, which was fixing him with a hard stare.

“And there _ you _ are.” They came over and crouched before him, not letting down their gaze for one moment. “Slippery little devil aren’t ya? Breaking out of my box.” Herobrine looked down to not meet the other’s eyes. Cleo frowned as she could feel the man shaking under her arm. His eyes were locked on X's hand, which was resting on the hilt of a sword that was tied to his belt.

“Hey X, no swords!” she warned, echoed by Keralis. 

“Please, no swords. It makes him nervous then he starts setting fire to things. I don't want my barn to burn down.” X took his hand off of the hilt.

"Okay?"

"And you're already doing a good job of making him nervous…" Cleo muttered, half to herself. X raised an eyebrow, then took the entire scabbard off his belt and threw it off onto the ground below.

"There we go. I'm not here to hurt anyone. No need to worry."

She felt Herobrine relax from the action.

"So, Sashwammyvoid, why are you here then?" Keralis asked.

"I just want to get to know our newest member! Nothing more." He sat down, shifting into a comfortable position, and leaned forward a bit expectantly.

"Yeah, uh, he can't really talk right now? Throat injury and all that." Cleo informed him. Herobrine responded by grabbing the book and opening it. He shakily scribbled a few words inside.

_ 'I can write though.' _

"Sometimes it's in enchanting table garbledeegoop." The comment earned her a light thump on the shoulder.

"Huh, really? How odd, he must not be from around here." Xisuma joked. He then looked Herobrine directly in the eyes and asked:

"How'd you injure your throat?"

The response was simply _ 'Doc' _ above a crudely drawn stick figure with a trident going through the neck. Keralis cringed at the drawing, while X simply nodded, seemingly expecting such an answer.

"He did say you two had a bit of a scuffle… I'm curious now to hear you- uh read your side of the story. He said you were mad."

_ 'He attacked me, why wouldn't I be mad?' _

Somehow the book made him feel a lot better. It seemed like he'd found a loophole in his inability to talk to people. He mentally thanked Cleo for suggesting it.

"Huh, he said you attacked him…" 

Like usual.

_ 'That's what everyone says.' _

X raised an eyebrow.

"And why would _ everyone _say that? There must be a reason!"

Herobrine did not know how to answer that. He started writing, paused, scribbled it out and started again, then repeated the action until he just folded the book closed and shrugged. He looked down, figuring he'd just confirmed his supposed evil nature to this… man? The presence of X was confounding him. It was an energy he'd felt only a few times before. Newly inspired to attempt to clear his name, he opened the book and started writing again.

_ 'I don't know how I got the reputation I have. Do you know of any stories concerning me? Maybe the very first ones?' _

The second half was exasperatedly scribbled out and re-written as Herobrine found himself slipping into his native script again. X frowned, thinking hard.

"The first one… I think it just described someone encountering you. And a few things you did. It was… pyramids of sand, some tunneling and cutting leaves off trees?" 

"What do you have against the booshes?" Keralis asked in a fake distraught voice.

_ 'The leaves just stayed there forever back then. I thought it would be helpful.' _

The answer earned a chuckle from both Cleo and X. 

"Wow, so even back then you were just trying to be friendly huh?" Cleo interjected. She squeezed his shoulders in a playful manner, making him squeak. He'd completely forgotten that she still had her arm around him. 

"So, when did we all just somehow accept he was evil?" Keralis questioned. X and Cleo both looked at one another, realising that they had no answer to the question. It was just… a thing that people believed for some reason.

"Maybe the fire has something to do with it?" Cleo suggested. "People often see that as an evil thing."

"Ah, yes, the fire. I haven't seen that." In response to X's comment, Herobrine lifted his hand and set it alight to show off the ability. Keralis stared at it in wonder, the reflection of the flames dancing in his eyes.

"I gotta admit, that is pretty neat." Cleo admitted. "Just, not when it's directed at me."

"Or my barn, please don't set light to my barn." Keralis added. Herobrine blinked, then a mischievous grin spread across his face. He gently poked a stalk of straw and it caught on fire.

"boop!"

"Noooooo!" Keralis thumped on the burning straw as Herobrine silently cackled to himself. Cleo and X joined in with him.

"Oh no, turns out he was evil all along!" X exclaimed in a sarcastic tone between laughter. As it died away, Herobrine found himself wiping a small tear from his eye. He’d completely let any reservations with being in the company of others fall away. And it felt _ good _. He opened his book and wrote out a question for X.

_ ‘What is your name? These two keep calling you different things.’ _

X read the question.

“Oh! It’s Xisuma. Others often call me X for short. And because there is a lot of disagreement on how to pronounce it.”

“Yes, no one seems to know how to pronounce Sashwammyvoid’s name.” Keralis added in. Point taken.

“Anyway, One more question…” Xisuma said. "Where'd your bandages go? I worked so hard on those!" Herobrine tilted his head slightly in confusion.

_ 'Was it you who treated me? Also Doc happened to them.' _

Xisuma nodded. 

"It was indeed. They didn't last long did they?” A shulker box was placed down and opened, and X pulled a roll of bandages out. “Luckily for you, I came prepared." Herobrine gulped. He was not going to enjoy this…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is a legitimate question of mine. When did everyone decide Herobrine was an evil villain? He never actually did anything malicious in the original creepypasta.


	10. Breaking walls and Building bridges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which he meets the other inhabitant of the village.

_ He was not falling? _

_ He looked down at the grass under his feet, blinking in surprise. _

** _Look around_ **

_ He did, and his eyes went wide with wonder. The featureless flat green was gone, replaced with hills, caves, valleys, cliffs. It was beautiful. _

_ He approached a structure. It looked like a larger version of the plant he had known before. The trunk felt rough under his fingertips. _

_ It's amazing! He shouted. _

_ He ran out, crossing the ground quickly, taking in all the scenery he could see. New sights, new sounds, new textures. His winding path stopped at the edge of something. _

_ The ground under him was no longer grass. He knelt down and felt it. It was soft and warm, and made of many tiny grains. He scratched out a handful of the substance, feeling it fall down between his fingers. He liked it. _

_ There was something else though. It plopped around, formless and blue. He dipped his hand in, pulling it back when he felt how it clung to his hand. The droplets sparkled in the light as they fell from his fingers. Slowly, he stood, and dipped his foot in. He followed with his leg, then the rest of his body until he was submerged to his waist. The liquid was cold, but he did not let that deter him. He continued out, away further from the land until the floor under his feet had dropped out of reach. He kicked out furiously with his legs, trying to keep his head above the surface. He didn't like it. _

_ He struggled his way back to the shore and hauled himself out, laying on the soft ground to catch his breath. He'd rather do something else. _

_ It wasn't long until he had built again. It was a smaller structure than what he had in the green, but it looked better thanks to the multitudes of new materials he'd discovered he had access to. The trunks had formed beams, which built a framework he had filled in with the planks. The roof was constructed out of stone; Specifically a lighter stone that formed slabs. Clear stuff filled in holes in the wall, forming windows he could look out of. _

_ He was proud of what he'd created. _

_ Look what I made! He called to the voice. _

_ There was no answer. _

  
  


His eyes opened to see a gently steaming bowl in front of him. Herobrine pushed himself into a sitting position, wiping the residual sleep from his eyes. The bowl turned out to be filled with rabbit stew and the smell of it made his stomach grumble with hunger. He sighed, wondering if he was even healed enough to eat yet, then decided to give it a try. The broth went down easily enough, as did the carrots. The next few minutes were spent picking at the rabbit meat. Eventually, it became too painful to swallow anymore, so he set the bowl aside.

He sat back and his eyes strayed to the wall, which was charred and blackened from a certain… event… that took place the night before. He shuddered and looked away, repressing the memory. She’d surely hate him now for that… He shuffled his way over to the ladder and climbed down, eager to stretch his legs a bit and to get away from the crime scene before he thought too deeply about it.

The sun was beaming down, feeling lovely and warm on his skin. The new bandages Xisuma had given him the day before were tight, but not uncomfortably so. He knew that they were there to help him, so despite some difficulties that had incurred, he’d managed to accept them.

"Hi Herri!" Keralis was over at the storage next to the barn, waving at him. Herobrine waved back, opting to ignore the nickname he'd been given. It was better than others he'd had in the past.

"Bubbles is over, working on something to view the iron golem skeleton if you want to meet him!" He pointed out towards the half constructed frame of a large building on the other side of the village. Herobrine nodded, then set off across the village to take a closer look and try and clear his head.

The building had a pleasing shape to it. It was made of beams of a strange type of wood that he'd not seen a lot of before, with stone brick walls filling in the gaps and serving as a solid foundation for the structure. And was that… birch logs? Who uses birch logs as a wall?? As if his thoughts were being said out loud, a voice came floating over.

"You'd love to find a good reason to use birch in a building, but I'm gonna tell you right now, Bdubs says NO! Don't do this!"

The owner of the voice was someone in a white shirt and black trousers. They were facing away from him, looking at the structure. Herobrine climbed some bone blocks that were beside him and sat down on the peak, watching the man as he talked to himself about birch and it's possible uses. He had taken an axe out and was pointing it at the build, measuring it with his eye against the handle. Then he bounced away towards it while still happily chattering to himself.

At the build, he started to use the axe on the birch logs in a delicate manner, scraping and chipping the white bark off, revealing the pale wood underneath. Herobrine found himself leaning closer to watch intently, figuring that the other wood in the structure was made in much the same way, but out of different log types.

It was so simple, yet so _ genius. _

The build started to look better as the man worked, and the sight of the bark peeling off of log after log was insanely satisfying. Herobrine laid himself down on the bone, dangling his arm off the edge as he watched. The warm sun and the soothing sight of the bark dropping to the ground below was lulling him to sleep, and he kept trying to shake himself awake since it had only been a short amount of time since he’d awoken in the barn. Maybe he really was more exhausted than he’d ever thought… He finally relented and let his eyes close, bathing him in

_ Darkness? _

_ The concept was unfamiliar. Where was the bright light that usually coated the land? _

** _In your hands_ **

_ He looked down at his hands, wondering what the voice could mean. He flexed his fingers, feeling a strange warmth rush through him. It coursed through his arms and into his fingertips, and erupted from them in a burst of bright fire. He stared at it, utterly confused yet amazed. The area around him was brightened by the flame, and the light followed him wherever he walked. He could light the area? _

** _It works_ **

_ There was a groan from behind him, and he spun around. It was one of the people that had attacked him before. However, time had not been kind to them; their skin was rotten and green, with chunks of it missing, exposing rancid flesh underneath. They stumbled towards him, arms outstretched, gurgling horribly as it advanced. He felt the fire in his hand burn brighter as he backed away from the threat. Does the fire work? _

_He threw the fire at the person. The flame erupted into a huge fireball, and it smothered the person in licking orange and yellow. Through the flames, he could see a pair of green eyes peering back at him, framed in long ginger hair. A terrified cry echoed around the hills, cut short as the flames incinerated the girl inside. Oh no, he’s sorry, he didn’t mean to he’s so sorr- _"Oh! I had no idea that I had an audience!"

The sudden voice made Herobrine jump out of his nap. He snapped his head around to see the man standing on the bone, looking at him.

"Are you the guy Keralis has been hiding in his barn? Hi! Nice to meet you!" He crouched down as Herobrine sat up, rendering them both eye to eye with each other. 

"So, you liking what you seeing?" The man asked, throwing his arm out to indicate the building he had been working on. Herobrine nodded quickly whilst trying to forget the nightmare. He didn't want to be reminded of _ that _again...

"Wow, thanks! I've been dying to meet you, you know. Keralis has been saying you're a nice guy!"

Compared to the soft, almost whispered tones of Keralis's voice, this person was _ loud_. It kind of made Herobrine want to cringe and cover his ears, but he fought back against the desire and simply nodded and gave a somewhat uncomfortable smile. Nice guy... if only he knew what he'd done.

"You feeling better? I noticed you look a whole lot more wrapped up than before. Hopefully that should stop bits of you falling out all over the place." Herobrine snorted and covered his mouth, rather amused by the comment.

The man suddenly yawned and stretched.

"Man, this build, I am wiped! I'm gonna go take a nap or something. Hope to see you around!" He waved as he slid down the bone to the ground, and Herobrine waved back a bit. He watched him go, then turned back to the building. The architecture was amazing, he could only dream of making something like this.

"Bubbles is such a great builder isn't he?" Keralis suddenly said from beside him, startling Herobrine enough to make him fall off of the bone. He laid on the grass below, staring into the huge eyes that were peering over the edge at him.

_ How does he DO that???? _

Years of fine tuning himself to sense anyone trying to sneak up on him were seemingly useless against this person. Thank Notch that he wasn't a hunter...

"You okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Keralis hopped down and landed beside Herobrine and offered his hand out to him. He let himself be helped to his feet while flashing Keralis an awkward grin. 

"Do you want a small tour around our village? You seem to really like looking at what people have built." Herobrine smiled and gave a thumbs up. With that, Keralis took his hand and started walking, half dragging Herobrine until he'd adjusted to his speed. Their first stop was a wall with some maps on it, showing an aerial view of the huge bones that were laying around the area. They came together to form a massive skeleton.

"This is the iron golem skeleton, our main attraction. We want to use it to get people to come here and spend diamonds. To do that we have a horseback only policy here, so people can't just fly over, take a look and leave without spending anything." Keralis pointed to the half finished building that 'Bubbles' had made.

"Bubbles is building a place to view the skeleton from the air. I'm not sure what the whole plan is but I'm excited to see what he makes. He's such a good builder! I mean, look at this skeleton!" Herobrine looked over the bones, mentally mapping together the shapes and fitting them to what was on the wall. It was certainly impressive, but had a fatal flaw; iron golems didn't _ have _ skeletons. He pushed the thought down, deciding to suspend his disbelief in favour of just appreciating the sights. Keralis was tugging on his hand to try and direct him into the town. He followed him, his eyes trained on a strange crater in the ground.

"I believe Iskall had a house built here, no idea what happened to it." Keralis explained. "I guess I should fill in this hole at some point." Herobrine checked around and found that he still had some dirt from breaking out villagers and digging himself out of a cave. He hopped down into the crater and started to fill in the bottom of it. He did not get too far though, as there was only just enough dirt to cover the stone that was exposed to the air.

“Oh no, Herri, there’s no need I can do it! Or maybe I can make Bubbles do it.” Herobrine looked up at Keralis and smiled before climbing back out of the crater. 

“Instead of manual labour, how about we carry on the tour, hey?” 

He happily let himself be led around the village, with Keralis explaining each building as he went. They were currently standing outside of a large stone brick building which Keralis was explaining was a stable.

“The idea is that tourists can rent their horses from here to use around the village.” They went inside to look around at the horses. They snorted and eyed them nervously, indicating they were not long tamed. Herobrine cast his eyes over them one by one, noting what features and strengths stood out for each horse. Then he turned his attention back to the details of the stables. He felt that he had to say something to voice his wonder, but struggled to find a word to describe it. Finally, he settled on:

"It's breathtaking!" For once, he actually found himself able to speak. Keralis let out a pleased chuckle.

"No, you're breathtaking! Lovely to hear your voice finally too!" He turned to beam at Herobrine, only to see the expression on his face. His eyes were open so wide that anyone else would probably have trouble distinguishing the two from each other.

“Uh.. hellooo?” Keralis waved his hand in front of Herobrine’s face. When this produced no response, he gently prodded the frozen man on the shoulder.

“Did I say something?” He began to feel a bit worried. Had he accidentally triggered some unpleasant memories for him?

Herobrine blinked then shook his head, half to say no, half to shake off whatever had come over him.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m fine.” He replied, but he looked down, blushing slightly and avoiding Keralis’s gaze.

“O...okay. If you say so.” Keralis couldn't help but notice the small smile on Herobrine’s face though.

“Here, I’ve been sinking… Hello, this is the german coastguard, what are you sinking about? Yea, I’ve been sinking about something… you usually have a cyan shirt like mine right?” Herobrine was slightly confused at the german coastguard comment, but nodded in response to the question.

“Follow me!” Keralis turned and skipped out of the door, and went towards the barn. Herobrine gulped, not wanting to revisit the scene of his nightmares again, but followed anyway. Inside the barn, Keralis was digging through a few shulker boxes, muttering some things to himself, and soon pulled out a cyan shirt identical to his own, and Herobrine’s old shirt by extrensy. He handed it to him with a smile.

“There you go, a little more protection from the elements.” Herobrine looked between the shirt he was holding and Keralis with a questioning look on his face. He tilted his head to one side.

_ Are you sure? _ Once again, vocal cords were paralyzed. He was doing so well too…

Keralis seemed to understand the question well enough though.

“Yeayeayea! Go for it, I have plenty spare.” Herobrine pulled the shirt on, revelling at how soft it felt. It was a far cry from the gritty bit of tattered fabric he’d worn for so many years. He felt his face pulling itself into a huge smile as he ran his fingers around the hems.

“You like it.” The sentence was more of a statement than a question, as it was plain as day that he loved it. He nodded to reinforce this, and Keralis's expression morphed to match Herobrine's contagious joy. He turned away and started to shuffle through his shulker box wall, his grin fading as he realized he did not have the required materials for what he wanted to do that day.

"Oh nooo… I'm out of quartz…" he sighed. Herobrine blinked, then had an idea of something he could do as a thanks for everything Keralis had done for him. Quartz was no problem for him to obtain. In fact, it was one of his favourite pastimes back when he had made his home in the nether. He tapped Keralis on the shoulder and pointed to himself as Keralis turned to look at him.

"You… want to get the quartz? Noo, it's too dangerous. You'll get hurt!" Herobrine raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He then produced a small flame from his hand and pointed to it, much to Keralis's confusion.

"Fire… to get quartz?" 

"No, I'm immune to fire and lava. Nether is nothing dangerous for me." Herobrine managed to explain out loud. He suppressed a cough that was building in his throat as Keralis took this into consideration. 

"Ooh… ohkay. I guess you must be itching to get out and about right? As long as you are careful and don't get hurt. You promise?" Herobrine nodded quickly, then decided to raise his pinky finger in a way of saying "pinky promise" the same way Keralis often did. The gesture did not go unnoticed, as Keralis looked down at it and smiled.

"Okay! Good luck Herri!" He waved as Herobrine exited the barn, then turned back to his shulker wall once the footsteps has receded to silence. A sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Wait… how will he get any quartz without a pickaxe?"


	11. you're after the wrong guy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which misunderstandings get a bit out of hand. Everything works out fine though. Right?

The path to closest nether portal he knew of took him into the modern styled town, which was as deserted as the last time he was there. Herobrine wanted to get through the place as quickly as possible though, as no matter where he turned, he could feel someone, _ somewhere _ was watching him closely. He kept his head on a swivel, trying to spot whatever had its eyes on him, and soon the flash of the sun reflecting off of metal caught his eye.

It turned out to be the propellers of one of the hovering things he’d seen in the nether. It floated almost silently in the air, with only the faint whirr of its engines punctuating the thick quiet. Herobrine approached it, making sure to make it very clear he had seen the machine, and it suddenly rose into the air as if to stay out of his way.

Whatever these things were, they were definitely after him.

Herobrine looked around, wondering if there was anything he could use a projectile, and spotted a pebble lying on the grass. It would do. He grabbed the pebble and held cupped in his hands, focusing the heat of his fire into the small rock. After a minute, it began to glow red with heat, and soon softened into a glob of molten magma. Then, he wound his arm back, took aim, and lobbed the globule at the hovering thing with all of his might. The lava splattered into the propellors, some of it even able to cut through the metal from the sheer force of the throw. The machine destabilized in the air, and despite its best efforts of regaining control, smashed into the ground and exploded. With a self satisfied smile, Herobrine clapped his hands together to dust them off and turned away, keen to get out of this place and find cover soon.

However, like a hydra, two more of the machines appeared soon enough.

He was so preoccupied with glaring down the machines that he missed the smooth diamond armour appearing around the corner. He did sense her presence though, and quickly turned around to see who it was.

“You!” The blond haired lady he’d seen before had stopped at the sight of him standing there in the middle of the street. He looked at her up and down, but the things behind him brought his attention back to them, so he turned away. One of the hovering contraptions shifted in a little closer, as if it was trying to get a good look at his face. He narrowed his eyes at it, finally spotting the tiny camera that was hidden in the body of the thing. He could see the lens shifting as it zoomed and focused on him, studying him like he was a specimen of some sort, and the machine was a curious scientist. The second one floated down right behind the first, but it did not seem as focused; Instead it more looked around the general area, as if mapping it out. 

Then, both of them suddenly zoomed away, high into the air. He knew the reason; He could feel the presence of the woman behind him getting closer. The blue blade of a diamond sword slammed into the road as he leapt aside out of the way. The woman pulled the sword out of the ground, and turned to point it at him.

This was not a hunter, but she evidently wanted him dead.

The bandages around his wrists dispersed into black ashes as the fire crept around his hands and up his arms. There was hardly any time to dodge before she was striking out again. The sword slashed across his arm, leaving a deep gash in it. He cringed through the pain and jumped back, looking around for any sort of weapon he could protect himself with. The sword was coming down again, and all he could do was put his arm out to block it.

The blade slammed against bone, sending the shockwave through his arm. He used it to his advantage to twist the sword around and unbalance the lady. She stumbled back, but quickly regained her footing, looking back to see Herobrine had taken off running. He was scanning from side to side, trying to find something, _ anything _ that he could use as a weapon, and spied the downed machine. Running over, he grabbed two of the propellers and tore them free, and spun around to see his attacker had her wings out and was speeding directly towards him. He rolled to the side as the sword slashed through the air where he had been standing and landed on his feet, the propellers held out in front of him to intercept further blows. Iron stood little chance against diamond, but it would be better than trying to stop a forcefully swung blade with his own arms.

The clash of the weapons rang out through the streets as Herobrine blocks strike after strike, noting with a panic that this girl was _ extremely skilled _with her swordfighting prowess. His past techniques of winning battles were often outlasting opponents with his extreme durability, and brute forcing them into submission. And as more and more of the hits were getting though, cutting gashes and wounds into his body every time he missed a block, he knew this was not an option here. He managed to jump out of the fray, and he forced a white hot flame into the iron propellor and threw it like a javelin at her, realising a split second too late that maybe throwing away his only weapons was probably not a good idea. The realization was only supported when she raised her sword and deflected the projectile away, sending it bouncing into the grass. He stepped back as she approached, sword raised and ready to strike again.

He’d barely even been given a chance to fight back, and was purely on the defensive. He cringed as the force of the weapon shocked through his injured arm, only to figure out the blow had been a facade. The blade cut deep into his side, jamming in between his ribs. He could feel the fire from the enchantment on the sword burn him on the inside, and he screamed. In shock, in pain, it did not matter. The sword was pulled out, and he sank to the floor, clinging to the wound.

Just one day without being inflicted with a serious injury, was that too much to ask for?

The woman knelt down, pressing the tip of the sword against his chest, and he only had one thing to say to her.

“Why?”

“For Cleo. You know what you did to her.” The cold answer brought back the memories of the previous night he’d been trying to suppress. How did she find out about that? The sword punctured his skin as the pressure increased.

“False, I’ve been looking fo- OH MY GOD-” The zombie appeared in between them, and was roughly shoving False away from Herobrine. The sword clattered to the ground as False landed on her back. 

“Argh! Cleo?”

“I was telling you, there’s no need to worry about it, it was an accident!” Cleo positioned herself so that she was sheltering Herobrine from False the best she could. “He didn’t mean to kill me, It’s fine!” She turned around to inspect Herobrine’s condition.

“My god she really did a number to you.” Herobrine cringed away from Cleo, feeling extremely awkward to be so close to someone he’d accidentally incinerated so recently.

“Hey, it’s fine, I know you didn’t mean it, you were hurt and lashed out in response.” She rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I forgive you.”

Herobrine still found it hard to look at her, but nodded slightly to show he’d understood. Behind Cleo, False was pushing herself to her feet, but was still shooting a death glare at him. He tried to copy her, but the adrenaline of the fight had worn off and the numerous slashes had taken their toll. He was still probably weakened from his fight with Doc, so this would be hard to recover from quickly. He felt an arm hook under his shoulder, and Cleo wrapped his injured arm around her own shoulders to help him stand. False had laid off the death glares, and was instead dusting herself off and checking herself for any injuries.

“He didn't even get to hit me!” She exclaimed in a prideful tone. 

“Huh, why didn't you just go supernova on her? That strategy definitely works.” Cleo joked. Herobrine shook his head slightly. He did not want to repeat the past events. It was odd that she was even suggesting and even joking about such a thing, considering she’d been a victim of it. Were these people really so desensitized to dying? He stumbled a bit, falling into her and causing her to rapidly catch him and almost overbalance herself.

“Jeez False, you really beat him up. Help me out here!” False sheathed her sword and went over, then easily lifted Herobrine off the ground bridal style.

“Is it really okay? He did destroy most of your stuff…” She asked her.

“It’s perfectly fine, stuff can be replaced. And like I said, he didn't mean to do so, it was a reflex reaction.” False sighed, finally accepting that Cleo meant what she was saying.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t realize… with all the things going on and how Doc described him and… Yeah, I may have overreacted…” she looked down and noticed Herobrine had passed out in her arms. "Let's just get him to my house. I might have something that can help there."

  
\--  
  


_ The surface was dangerous now in the darkness. _

_ The zombies that shuffled around endlessly were joined by massive spiders and skeletons that were armed with bows that shot arrows at him. Several of them were sticking out of his back as he made his way deeper into the cave. He grabbed them and pulled them out one by one, scattering a trail of red droplets behind him as he ventured further and further underground. His other hand was bright with flame, lighting the cold stone that surrounded him. _

_ The darkness ahead peeled back to reveal a dead end. He stopped and turned around with a sigh, only to hear the groans of the undead emanating from the black. He spun back around and smacked at the rock, breaking a tunnel only just large enough to fit himself inside. The debris scattered around his feet, and he was sure that the noise would attract the mobs that were after him. He punched further into the rock, feeling the pressure of the hundreds of meters of earth pressing down on all sides of him. It was uncomfortably tight, yet it also gave him a sense of safety. The mobs would only be able to come from one direction, and as long as the rock ahead held no danger, he would be safe. _

_ Only the rock ahead held a new danger. _

_ The wall in front of him cracked, and suddenly water started spurting out of the gaps. He fished out a block to try and stop the leak, but it was too late. The force of the water broke the wall down, and gallons of it rushed in, taking him off his feet. He gasped as he was swept back into the cave, and the water splashed around the zombies and skeletons that were also caught in the flood. He kicked out with his limbs, trying to desperate keep his head above the surface of the water, but soon the current had dragged him under. His lungs ached as he tried to swim to the surface, and soon the lack of oxygen was almost burning him. He instinctively opened his mouth to draw in more air, but instead water rushed into his lungs in its place. _

_ The panic set in as he realized he was going to drown. He attempted to cry out for help. _

_ The voice did not answer his call. _

The coughing carried over into the waking world. Herobrine opened his eyes to see False and Cleo looking down at him with worried expressions on their faces. He sat up and covered his mouth to try and stifle further coughs. 

“Told you that he’d choke if you tried to give him that.” Cleo sat down beside him and patted his back in an attempt to be helpful. He spluttered a few more times, then took his hand away to see the blood spread across the palm. Cleo cringed at the sight.

“I thought you said you had stopped trying to kill him?” She said in a mock accusing tone to False. False rolled her eyes and threw the bottle she was holding into a chest and slammed it shut, making Herobrine jump. He wiped the blood off onto his jeans and swung his legs over the side of the bed to try and stand.

“No you’re not.” Cleo said, pushing him back gently. He grunted in protest, but the zombie’s arm stood firm. With a sigh, he lay back down on the bed and covered his face with the pillow. The voices of the two girls was muffled, and he focused on listening to his own breathing as he sucked in the air through the thick fabric. Every part of him had a wound that was stinging, but they seemed to already be healing. Probably a side effect of his recent diet consisting almost exclusively of healing potions. The pillow was being tugged off of his face, so he clamped down harder. However, after a short game of tug of war he relented and let it go.

"My god, you trying to suffocate yourself?" Cleo asked as she roughly tossed the pillow away. Herobrine shook his head and covered his ears, indicating that he was more trying to get away from the chatter. He hadn't realized just how _ loud _girl gossip was, mostly from having never been in the presence of it. His eyes strayed to the side and he saw some more potions sitting on a chest. May as well. He gulped down the potions, cringing as they started to work on his injuries. The deep gash in his arm where it had caught False's sword started to close, and False was watching it with a slight frown, as if thinking about something.

"I'm interested in your durability. You stopped my sword with your arm, anyone else would have had it chopped off." She told him while leaning forward. "Are you just like that?" Herobrine opened his mouth, but only managed to produce a squeak instead of any words. Cleo shook her head.

"Have you got your book on you?" She inquired. He cringed, remembering the book being one of the victims of his little inferno outburst. She sighed and turned to False.

"Do you have a book and quill here? He tends to find it easier to write instead of talk." False turned away and dived into her chests, and managed to scrape together the materials to make one. She handed the book to Herobrine, who accepted it gratefully and instantly wrote _ 'Thank you!' _At the top of the page.

"You're welcome. Back to the question at hand though…" Herobrine was already scribbling in the book.

_ 'Yes I am exceptionally hard to kill. If I wasn't, I would not be sitting here." _False rested her chin on her hand.

"That final blow I made would have killed you huh?"

_ 'No, not that, more the fact I probably would not have made it out of indev.' _

"Indev?" Cleo asked. "You've been around since then?" Herobrine blinked and tilted his head. Did she know about indev?

_ 'You know what I mean by indev? I don't even know what I mean by indev.' _

She chuckled. 

"It means 'in development'. So wow you have been around a long time. How long ago was indev now?"

_ 'Since before then. Indev was just when I nearly died the first time.' _

The girls looked impressed, evidently ignoring the second half of the sentence.

"Before? What was there before then. Classic?" False pondered. The response was a drawing of a cuboid with a tiny stick figure in the middle of it. Some words were written beside it: _ 'Green and grey. I could place. I could break. And a voice.' _

"A voice?" Both of the girls read out.

_ 'It would tell me what to do, and tell me if I did good or bad.' _

“So you were like a test guinea pig?” Cleo suggested. Herobrine frowned a bit.

_ ‘What’s a ginny pig?’ _

“You don’t know what a guinea pig is?” False asked in disbelief. Cleo shrugged.

"Well, they don't exactly exist here. Let's just saaaay... it's a figure of speech. Someone who just tests stuff for other people, often to their own detriment."

"Who was the voice?" False quickly cut in before they lost that subject.

_ 'I asked that as well. It said once that I was its brother? Then denied it afterwards.' _They nodded, seeming to understand completely.

"So, it was Notch, that makes sense. He was the creator, and Hero was the test dummy."

_ 'Oh you know him? That makes things easier.' _

"Yeah. Made Minecraft. Kinda left it after a while. Jeb is the leader now." False explained. "Were you two close then?"

_ 'No. Screw Notch, he tried to kill me so many times. Pretty sure he is the reason why I'm so weak these days.' _

Cleo laughed at the blunt answer.

"Wow, no brotherly love to be found here."

There was a lot of info being divulged here, but it was helping Herobrine to get his thoughts in order to finally write them down. He closed the book and smiled weakly, feeling a strange sense of relief as no longer having to store those thoughts in his head. Cleo seemed to take this as a way of him changing the subject.

“So what were you doing in Falsewell?” she asked. He opened the book again.

_ ‘I was going to go get quartz for Keralis. The way to the nether portal was through this town.’ _

“But you’re injured? Why would he send you to the nether like this?” Cleo asked incredulously.

_ ‘I wanted to go. As thanks for what he’s done for me. Plus the nether is not that dangerous to me.’ _

“How is it not dangerous? There's lava and mobs and… " She looked rather worried at the idea of letting him go into the nether on his own. "I think that even you wouldn't get out alive if you fell into the lava..."

_ ‘The mobs generally leave me alone, and I’m immune to fire and lava. Plus I enjoy getting quartz.’ _

"You're immune to fire?" False said disbelievingly. Herobrine raised an eyebrow, then lifted his hand and set it aflame.

“Oh... right... Makes sense. I feel kinda dumb for not realising it now..." Cleo let out an awkward laugh as False buried her face in embarrassment.

"Well, guess I kind of stopped you from doing that...” She admitted, looking rather guilty. Herobrine’s face fell.

_ ‘I promised him I wouldn't get hurt, and already broke that promise. He’d only just given this shirt to me too…’ _

“Oh no… it’s not your fault, I’m sorry!” He sighed and lifted the shirt to examine the wound False had inflicted. It seemed to have healed on the surface, but the feeling of flesh deep inside him knitting itself back together was still present, and it made him shudder. Soon enough though, it subsided and was replaced with the perpetual dull ache. He once again tried to get out of the bed but was pushed back.

“I said no.” Cleo reaffirmed. The pouty face she received made her snort in amusement.

“Stubborn one aren’t you?” False sighed.

“If you are insistent on going to the nether, then at least let us come with you.”

Herobrine rolled his eyes, but the girls were as stubborn as he was; If he wanted to complete the task for Keralis, he had no choice but to let them come with him. He sighed and nodded as he pushed himself off the bed. 

“Adventuure!” Cleo shouted, pointing to the door. Herobrine snorted as he passed her and shouldered his way outside. He felt himself freeze at the sight of the hovering machines in the sky, staring down at him. False pushed past him and sighed when she spotted them.

“Concorp drones… Cub’s trying to track your every move.” She waved her arm at the drones in a motion telling them to leave. They stayed for a few moments, then almost reluctantly complied, rising into the air and whizzing away. Cleo appeared on the other side of Herobrine while tapping on her communicator.

“I’m going to ask X to call off the hunt. We don’t want any more… situations happening…” She said while flashing a sideways glance at false. She finished and sent her message then put the communicator away, grinning in excitement.

"Let's go!"

-

False was leading the way into the village, which the girls had explained was in fact called ‘Hermitville’, with Herobrine right behind her and Cleo in the rear. They were deep in telling him the story of the build battle that had resulted in the huge towering structures that dwarfed everything else in the area, when something made the hairs on Herobrine’s neck stand on end. He found himself plastered to the wall of a house with the other two looking at him confused.

“What’s wrong?” He didn’t know. Something felt off… It was a feeling that felt all too familiar, but he’d almost forgotten about it in the relative safety of the hermit’s home. He forced himself away from the wall, and shakily went over to the outer perimeter of the village, jumping to peer over the defensive barrier that had been built to protect against pillager raids. False and Cleo had joined him, both placing down pillars to stand on.

“Is there something out there?” Cleo inquired, looking slightly worried.

He could _ feel _ them. They were close, too close. And there they were. In the distance, a group of horses carrying riders. The details of the strange group were hidden by the huge separation between them and the village, but he could see it in his mind's eye: battle scarred metal plated armour, diamond swords that hissed with a foul energy no one should have power over. An insatiable desire to see him _ dead _.

They’d found him.

Herobrine had slid back to the ground, and was practically hyperventilating. Cleo and False had crouched down beside him, confused and concerned.

“Who were they?”

“Hunters.” The word was hissed out through his teeth.

“Hunters? Of what?” Cleo asked, already knowing the answer.

“Me.”

False had climbed back onto her pillar and was staring over at the distant group. Her eyes had narrowed.

“Seems we have more than one trespasser here… I kind of understand how you got in, being.. Well, you… but how did _ they _get in?” Herobrine shrugged.

“No matter how many worlds I go through, they always find me.” He hand managed to slow his breathing to a more reasonable pace, but he still looked as if he would pass out from terror at any moment. Cleo had her communicator out again.

“Okay, changing my request to X to instead change the manhunt to these guys.” The device pinged. “Oh, he’s available.” She typed a few more things in and dropped it, resting her back against the wall and looking up at the sky. A few moments passed, then the green armour shot into view with a burst of fireworks. Xisuma landed heavily, instantly looking over the group before him and taking in the concerned looks of the girls, and the downright _ petrified _ expression of Herobrine.

“Newcomers? What do you mean? Are there more new people?”

“Yup.” False answered. “Hero said they’re hunters that are after him. And that he has no idea how they’re here.” Herobrine could see Xisuma's eyes narrow through the visor of his helmet.

"Right. Do not worry yourself, I will deal with it." He opened his wings and took to the air, speeding away over the wall towards the distant people. 

False watched him go, then jumped down and offered her hand to Herobrine, but he instead got to his feet on his own.

"Since X is dealing with this, shall we continue?" Cleo said while starting off towards the tower that held the portal. The other two followed behind, and soon they were climbing the ladder inside the tower. They stood before the portal, staring into the deep purple whirls.

"So, would it be safer in the nether?" False suggested. Herobrine pulled his book and quill out and opened it.

_ 'They never follow me in since they know I'm in my element there. But they will lay siege around the portal I went through.' _

False wasted no time in planning around this new information.

"Okay, so with X dealing with them hopefully, that should not be a problem. However we'll call someone to check the portal is clear just in case. Sound good?" He nodded. "Good. Let's go!" They stepped into the portal one by one, eager to get going with the adventure.

\--

Xisuma sped through the air towards his target. The distant figures soon grew into distinguishable people, some riding horses, others on foot. Most of them had rough iron armour covering their bodies, and were toting all sorts of weaponry. A worrying sight to see unexpectedly in what should be a private area. Xisuma swooped in and landed in front of them.

“Hello everyone! Fancy seeing some new faces around here!” The response from the group was an instant aggressive one, with the weapons all pointed at him.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” The apparent leader of the group spat back at him, thrusting a diamond sword that had an odd air about it right in his face. 

“That is a question I should be asking you.” X shot back. The leader rested the sword on his shoulder.

“We go where we please to get what we are after. You will not stand in our way. Get out of here.” Xisuma rested his hands on his hips.

“Oh, I won’t?” The leader’s gaze darkened, and he lifted his hand to signal to the rest of the group. They quickly surrounded Xisuma in a tight circle.

“You will not.” The arm was brought forward, and all of the group descended on him. He sighed and took out a firework and zoomed into the air, leaving the group below to crash into each other. Several of them stopped to look skywards, jaws agape in shock.

“He can fly?” came the bewildered shout form several of them. Xisuma smirked to himself and circled around to land on a tree. Several arrows flew at him, but he pulled a shield out and blocked them with ease. The arrows bounced back to stick into the grass below.

“Now now fellas, there’s no need for this. We haven’t even introduced ourselves!” There was a whoosh of flames as the base of the tree was set on fire. X’s smirk grew, knowing it would be useless without firetick.

“My my, you are a rude bunch aren’t you?” He jumped and glided down to the ground, landing in the middle of them right in front of the leader.

“Now, let’s simmer down and we can talk this out.” Several crossbows were pointed directly at him. The leader narrowed his eyes, then called his men to lower their weapons.

“Alright. Keep it short. Who are you.” 

“I am Xisuma, I’m the admin of these here lands.” He extended his hand to shake, but was glared down.

“Flynn.” The leader grunted in response. 

“Nice to meet you Flynn, I assume you are the leader of this group?”

“Yes.” Xisuma could not help but notice the subtle signals he was giving to his group. These people were scarily well organized.

“And what are you here for?”

“What does that matter to you?” Flynn growled. “Stay out of our way.”

“Well, as I said, I am the admin, and this land is private. You should not have been able to ever come here.” He felt the people around him draw in closer. 

“Who cares what you are. We have a goal, and no amount of ‘private land’ will stop us. Now fuck off.” The rude demeanor was wearing X’s patience thin.

“Looks like some people need to learn about basic manners...” He muttered while crossing his arms.

“Looks like some fuckhead needs to learn his place in the world.” Flynn spat back. “Get ‘im!”

A blue blade suddenly appeared in the bottom of Xisuma’s vision, and the pain followed shortly after. X gasped as he felt his vision fading. The sword was yanked out, and he felt his legs falter. However, he knew what to do. Within a second, the golden totem was in his hand, and the next it magically flew around him, bursting thick green and yellow particles everywhere. The wound sealed closed, leaving nothing but the broken armour where the weapon had entered and exited. The hunters had recoiled in shock, stunned at the man who had just cheated death right in front of him.

“I guess that tells me everything I need to know.” Xisuma fixed Flynn with a hard glare.

“Stay away from our homes. Or else I will come more prepared next time. You have been warned.” With that, he leapt into the air and sped away, leaving the band of hunters in a bewildered huddle in the field.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really am running out of pre written chapters now, it's scary D:  
Also surprise! Doc is not the main antagonist.


	12. Enemy of an Enemy, could be a friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the siege has begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And also in which I've crashed head first into a wall of writers block. ow my face.

The sound of pickaxe sinking into the soft netherrack was almost therapeutic to Herobrine. He and the girls had quickly turned the quartz expedition into a mini competition, and False had provided four shulker boxes and a pick to him when he’d finally realized he didn't actually have anything to gather the minerals with. He placed down one of the boxes and opened it to toss a load more quartz in, only for some of it to spill out over the side. As he struggled to get the lid closed, he concluded that he’d run out of space. Time to head back and wait for the others.

He lifted the shulker box off the floor and started back towards the landmark where they had all agreed their meeting point to be. The tower of netherrack stretched nearly to the ceiling, and it was framed on each side by a stream of lava. He sat down on a lump of the soft red rock to wait for the girls’s return, and cast his eyes around the area. In the distance, the transport tunnel could be seen stretching between two high ledges, and in front of it a group of pigmen were playing with a magma cube that was bouncing around between them. Normal nether business. Underneath the tunnel a vast lava sea spread out into the foggy horizon, and a few more magma cubes were floating around, bobbing slightly as they plopped along the surface of the molten rock.

“Heya!” There was a thud as Cleo suddenly landed beside him, startling him enough to fall off the netherrack seat.

“You done? I got one and a bit shulkers worth of ore.” She placed down the shulkers and opened one, proudly displaying some of the spoils. “Pick’s about to break though. So, what you got?” Herobrine took out the 4 shulkers he had and placed them down. Cleo looked inside each one, and her jaw dropped.

“Wow you were not kidding when you said you were good at this.” She looked over to her own shulkers. “Let’s hope when I Fortune this ore I could maybe just about beat you.”

“F...fortune?” Herobrine asked. Cleo tilted her head to one side.

“Yeah? The enchantment? Makes you get more stuff out of ore blocks?” The reply she got was a confused blink. “Do you not… hey, pass me the pick you were using for a moment.” He handed the tool over hesitantly, which she then inspected closely.

“Like this pi- uh… oh this pick only has Mending on it. Nevermi- wait you got all that quartz without Fortune??” 

“Y-yes?” Herobrine stammered in reply. Had he done something wrong?

“Okay wow… you are REALLY good at this whole quartz gathering thing. Great job.” He blushed a bit and looked down, very much unused to the praise.

“Time to tell off False for giving you a dodgy pick. When she gets back of course.” She sat down beside him and leaned back against the netherrack wall.

"So, you familiar with the nether yes?" She asked him. He nodded. 

"It has before been my home for lengthy periods of time. Although… I do prefer the overworld."

"Huh. So you were imprisoned here or something?" 

"No. No one else really comes here. Good place to hide from those who are after me."

"Ohh…" 

A small pigman had joined them, and it sat down next to Herobrine with a small squeak.

"I guess these guys make it bearable." He said while petting the piglet.

"Naww… I guess you like the pigmen? Remind me to never show you the gold farm..." Herobrine’s head snapped up

“The what now?”

“Hey guys!” The thump of False cut the conversation short. “We all done here?”

“Yup!” Cleo shouted quickly, jumping to retrieve her shulker boxes. Herobrine followed suit, having to stop and untangle the baby pigman from his shirt every few seconds. False giggled at the sight.

“Found a new friend?” 

“They... tend to be like this.” There was a soft thump as the piglet landed on the ground, and it squealed softy in protest.

“Please go back to your parents…” It looked at him sadly, then scurried off.

“Okay, I’m going to ask Xisuma to check the portal in Hermitville for any unwanted guests. Like I said I would.” False said. Herobrine gulped; He’d forgotten about the hunter situation. He peered over False’s shoulder to take a look at the device she was holding, studying it for the first time. She was typing on some sort of small keyboard, and the message was shown on the screen. With one final tap, the message was sent and she turned the screen off.

“Ready to go?” She asked, but set off towards the distant tunnel without waiting for an answer. Cleo and Herobrine tagged along behind her, and all three were soon stopped at the base of a cliff that supported the tunnel. False took out her pick and started digging into the cliff to make an accessible pathway.

"Since Hero's on foot, I'll make a staircase up for him here." She said whilst digging. As she lifted the pick out of the wall, lava suddenly spurted out of the hole that was left behind. The molten rock spilled down the netherrack and started flowing towards her. She prepared to block off the stream, but knew that she would not be able to dodge it in time. Just as the lava reached her boots, she felt herself get swept off her feet.

“Hey, what-” The lava surrounded her and Herobrine, submerging him to his waist. He lifted False higher to keep her above the surface.

“Careful you’re gonna- uh... Nevermind.”

“I’m immune to lava, remember?” He reminded her as he started to back out of the tunnel.

Cleo was outside, looking worriedly at the spillage that had made its way out of the tunnel. She sighed in relief at the sight of Herobrine emerging from within, then burst out laughing when she saw how False had survived the flood.

"Chivalrous gentleman I see?" Herobrine opened his arms a bit, and False hopped out.

“Thanks Hero. Maybe tunneling wasn’t such a great idea…” She set down an enderchest and got out a pair of wings, then slid them on over her shoulders. Herobrine looked over to Cleo to see she was doing the same. They both noted his inquisitive gaze.

“Do you know what an elytra is?” False asked while extending the wings on her shoulders. Herobrine shook his head. 

“Oh dear… They’re... well...” She gestured to the wings she was wearing. “They let you glide around places, and you can propel yourself further with fireworks. Want to try one out?” She offered. Herobrine quickly shook his head, predicting that fast uncontrollable movement in a tight confined space like the nether would not end well for the structure of his face.

“I can climb.” Not wasting any time, he jumped and hauled himself up the netherrack wall. The sound of fireworks preceded the sight of the girls zooming through the air above them, Cleo unsurprisingly slamming into a wall on the way. She quickly righted herself and went to land next to False, who was waiting for them. Herobrine soon hopped onto the tunnel beside her.

“We ready to go?” She asked, and was answered with nods. “Alright.”

They picked their way back down into the tunnel, and soon had made their way back to the portal. As they stared into it, False took out her communicator and checked for any replies.

"Hopefully X will get back to us soon." She said, and stuffed the device back in her pocket and stood back to wait.

  
\--

Xisuma sighed in relief when the Hermitville portal came into view with no one around it. The request he received from False worried him, but it seemed that they were just taking precautions on Herobrine's behalf. He gave her the all clear message, and soon she appeared in the portal. Herobrine and Cleo appeared behind her, the former looking around nervously. 

"How did the encounter go with them?" Cleo inquired. X shook his head.

"Not well. You must keep an eye out for them and stay away. They are not friendly in the slightest." He caught sight of Herobrine staring at his chest, and looked down himself to see the tear in the green armour left behind by the hunter's sword. There was the sound of some scribbling, and Herobrine showed his writing book. On it, the latest message said

_ 'Did the hunters do that?' _

"Yes. Nothing I could not handle though, no need to worry." X could not help but notice the sad expression on Herobrine's face though. He held the book out again.

_ 'Should I leave? All I seem to do is attract trouble for other people.' _

The suggestion was somewhat shocking.

"What???!!! No!!! You're not causing trouble! Other hermits in our family are way more trouble than you!!" A wave of sudden sadness washed over Xisuma as the ramifications of Herobrine even thinking of such a thing sunk in. Had he really so fully accepted that he'd never be able to fit in with anyone? X was glad of the mask that hid his face, so no one could see the tear he was blinking back into his eye. Cleo had slung her arm over his shoulders.

"No way, we'd miss you!" She exclaimed. The look on Herobrine's face as she said that was borderline heartbreaking. The sight stamped out any last worries of reservations X had about him, since he hadn’t actually attacked anyone maliciously, only defended himself. Yet those who were after him tried to kill X with little provocation. He’d much rather have a gentle person with an unfortunately bad reputation around than those guys…

The thoughts almost made him miss the ping of their communicators. False and Cleo already had theirs out.

“Grian is saying he needs help?” Cleo questioned. X looked down at the screen and sure enough.

**<Grian> guys i need help**

**<Grian> someone please help!**

“See what I mean by trouble?” X chuckled.

**<Xisuma> What’s wrong?**

**<Grian> theres these guys that are trying to attack me.**

**<Grian> they can somehow inflict wither on me**

His good mood suddenly dropped. They couldn't have...

**<Xisuma> Where are you?**

**<Grian> in scars hide and seek game**

“Wither?” False asked while pulling out some rockets. “Is there anything that can inflict wither on you? Other than a... Wither…?” The question was left unanswered as Cleo took off, brandishing her blade in anticipation for whatever was after Grian. False quickly trailed behind her, leaving X and Herobrine alone.

“I told them to stay away from us…” Xisuma sighed.

“You expected them to listen?” Herobrine asked. X let out a laugh. Such an idea was absurd now that he thought about it. They’d impaled him on a sword for goodness sake!

“The Wither part is worrying though… as far as I know there is no weapon that inflicts Wither on someone other than a wither skeleton’s sword.”

“They can. They’ve forged Wither rose thorns into their weapons.” X froze, suddenly remembering the black thorns he’d pulled out of Herobrine’s side several days ago.

“I… I think I should go help with the situation.” He said before suddenly leaping into the air and speeding away. Herobrine watched him go, then took off running after him.

His path soon took him under the Hermitland sign, and he could instantly feel the all too familiar presence of the hunters. He ducked and weaved through structures, trying to stay behind cover as much as possible as he closed in on the situation. There was some shouting in the distance, and he peered around a corner to see Cleo and False facing off against four of them. Having faced against False’s offensive himself, he turned away, knowing that the girls would do just fine. Instead he began to slowly sneak his way around the back of the staked out area, most of which seemed to be inside a wall that contained an old western styled town.

Overhead, Xisuma could be seen zooming around along with a couple other people. One landed, and he recognised it as Scar from Area 77. He had a shield out and was deflecting arrows that were being shot at him. The bald man that had shot at him before landed beside him and started shooting back with his crossbow, sometimes swapping out arrows for the fireworks. The explosions seemed to drive away whoever was firing at them, as the volley of arrows ceased. Scar turned to the man as he said something to him, then started to explain something while pointing around.

Herobrine looked away and focused on getting to the next hiding spot without being seen. It seemed that the hermits had it all under control, but he still wanted to help out where he could. He found a small gap in the fence and squeezed through, then quickly rolled behind a stack of barrels before anyone saw him. There was the ringing thud of a trident burying itself deep into the soil nearby, and the sound brought back recent painful memories with a shudder. Hopefully _ he _ wasn’t he- 

The deep voice rang out through the air, shouting a warning to someone else. He was. Herobrine cringed. He’d have enough problems with the hunters, he didn't need Doc seeing and going after him as well. A few arrows embedded themselves in the fence in front of him, followed by the heavy footsteps of Doc. He stopped right by the barrels, and Herobrine held his breath. Luckily, it seemed that Doc was not looking for him, instead he was trying to flank those that were attacking him.

“Do any of you guys know what building Grian is hiding in?” He asked, and was answered with some low quality voices. “Crap… I’m distracting the ones near the back, there’s like 5 here. I- gah!” There was some thuds as arrows buried themselves in the wood, and Doc vaulted over the barrels and sat down to take cover. He was breathing heavily, and the torn labcoat he was wearing looked soaked in sweat. A few arrows were embedded in his shoulders, and he was working one out with one hand whilst holding the communication device in the other.

“I may need backup here. They’re pretty good at dodging my trident but I cannot get close enough to melee with them. Plus I think they somehow have Infinity on those crossbow-” His head turned to face Herobrine as he spoke, and he trailed off as the two stared at each other.

“As if we didn't have enough problems…” He muttered as he lifted the communicator again.

“Guys, I got a Herobrine sighting here.” The voice that spoke first through the communicator was recognizable as Xisuma’s.

_ “He followed me here? Huh, I thought he’d want to stay away from the trouble.” _

“Wait what do you mean by ‘followed you’? Was he stalking you?” 

_ "No! He and I were having a lovely chat before Grian interrupted it.” _

“I thought y- AH!” The sound of a sword slamming into wood cut Doc shot. He and Herobrine looked around to see the leering face of a hunter glaring down at them.

“Got you you creeper faced fuck- oh.” His eyes had settled on Herobrine. “Well well well, would you look who it is.” He turned away and started waving to his companions. 

“EY! QUARRY SIGHTED. FORGET THE BOY!” The thunder of footfalls spurred Herobrine into action.

“Wait, quarry?” Doc questioned, then was thrown aside as the hunter went after Herobrine. Herobrine ran and ducked into a building and climbed the stairs. He paused at the threshold of a room, thought quickly, then set the staircase and the entrance to the room ablaze to block the hunter’s path and threw himself under a table. Sure enough, the door slammed open, but several curses were thrown about and nobody entered. Some arrows flew in through the window, but no other attempt was made to break in. Below, he could hear the conversations of them as they planned their next move. The chatter was broken by a german accent.

“Quarry? Are you guys hunting him?”

“Back off you creeper fuck. Go blow up someone’s house or something.” The snide comments grated’s Herobrine’s nerves, and obviously got on Doc’s as well.

“Rude. I only asked you a question.”

“I said-”

“Brad, stop he may be a useful recruit.” Another one cut off the first. “Yeah, we’re gonna kill it. Fuckin thing’s destroyed enough stuff, we’re just what it’s got coming.” 

“Wow, you sure have one heck of a mouth there.” Doc exclaimed. This obviously annoyed the hunters as the two speakers started flinging swearwords at him.

“Whatever. You wanna join us? We could use someone with the skills you have. Despite your… creeperness.” Herobrine’s blood ran cold. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Doc if he decided to join the hunters. And with their prior experiences with each other taken into account, why would Doc turn down the offer? He was obviously still after him judging by what he’d said earlier.

“Join you?” Doc repeated. Herobrine held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Hell no! You’ve been attacking and trying to kill my friends! I’d rather you just get the hell out of here, I’ll deal with the cryptid problem myself.” The breath was released. Seems that at least they had a common enemy.

“Wrong answer.” The fleshy splatch of a sword entering a body was heard, followed by a gasp. There was a thud as someone, presumably Doc, dropped to the floor.

“Alright, with that dealt with, how we gonna flush this thing out? It’s hiding behind fire again.” One of the hunters asked. "Wait, hey, Wierdo boy! Over here!" 

The sound of light footsteps became audible, along with a quiet "yes?"

"Can you do the ghosty thing and go flush this fucker out?" 

There was a period of quiet, then the hunter groaned.

"Fine, you wimp. Hey, we got any fire potions left? Someone needs to whip the brainy bitch again to get us some.”

“You go get Flynn to do that. We’ll hold it down here.” The other answered. There was the sound of someone running off, and the hunters fell silent, one of them leaning against the wall. For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of the flames.

"Why you so interested in the creeper, dude. It's a creeper. Actually... Hey, can you take control of that thing?" A third hunters asked. The quiet voice was heard again.

"No... He's has a soul already?"

"Wait I thought you said creepers don-"

“Throw... A star into... The rain shrine…” The strained whisper of Doc was heard, cutting off the strange conversation that was going on. There came the almost inaudible shuffle of feet as the quiet hunter apparently left the scene.

“Oh! This fuckin thing is still alive? Someone stab it. It's face is making me sick…" The first hunter spat. There came the scrape of a weapon being drawn.

“Do it. NOW!” Doc roared. Herobrine took the chance to peer out of the window. The cyborg was leaning heavily on his trident and grinning madly at the hunter as he closed in on him. The sky suddenly darkened and raindrops started pattering down. The other hunter looked to the sky in confusion as the drizzle quickly turned into heavy sheets of rain. There was a flash, and the booming crack of thunder shook the house to its foundations. Suddenly, Doc’s trident was embedded in the thick armour of the first hunter.

“You think that can hurt me?” The hunter taunted, pulling the weapon out. Doc’s grin only became wider as sparks started to arch around the trident.

“Wait wh-” There was a huge flash and a deafening explosion, punctuated by the insane-sounding laughter from the mad scientist cyborg creeper that can apparently _ smite his enemies with lightning. _

The terrified yelps of the hunters would have been a lovely sound to hear on any other day, but right now Herobrine was very much overtaken with the same emotion. He had taken his previous place under the table, and was covering his ears in an attempt to not hear that horrifying laugh. Eventually, all that remained was the memory of it floating around inside his head. He lifted his hands and listened out, hearing the rain beating down on the roof and the distant growl of thunder echoing through the sky. The hunters were gone.

He slid out from his hiding place and slowly crept out of the door, stamping out the fire as he went. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the sight of Doc stood out in the rain made him freeze. He was once again leaning on his trident heavily, and there was a lot of dark purple liquid, presumably blood, soaking down his labcoat. Some of it was stained black, and dispersing like dust in the strong wind. Wither. Slowly, Doc turned around to face Herobrine, as if he’d felt his eyes on his back.

“So… They were after you… this whole time...” He drawled out, taking a step towards him. Herobrine backed off a step, eyes locked firmly on the trident. That weapon had nearly taken him out without a lightning bolt attached to it, he didn’t want to find out what it could do now. However, there wouldn't be a chance to find out, as Doc's legs shook, and he suddenly collapsed through the doorway. The trident clattered to the floor as the poof of smoke blew the black dust from the Wither effects around several other items were scattered about. Herobrine backed off a few more steps, then turned and ran, launching himself through a window to get out of the building.

Another person was dead because of him… 

Once again the thought of leaving the Hermits be crossed his mind, but with it came the cheerful voice of Cleo:

_ No way! We’d miss you! _

Would they really? He’d caused nothing but trouble for them since he’d arrived, both directly and indirectly. He ducked into another building and sat down, listening to the clashes and shouts of the fight outside. Closing his eyes, he could pick out the individual presence of each person.

Xisuma was still in the air, directing where each hermit should go, while Flynn, the leader of the hunters, had rallied his troops together around him to protect himself. He searched around to try and pick out a particular person, and felt relieved as Doc reappeared. He quickly ran away from the fray, probably to grab his dropped items. However, in searching for him, Herobrine had felt someone else, very close by. Two people in fact, and one was terrified. He opened his eyes again and frowned in the direction, seeing an ajar door in the wall. Slowly, he crept closer, and holding his breath, peered inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "How to go out like a badass" - tutorial by Docm77


	13. Doom moments to Spoon moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a lot of Dorking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: man why people gotta angst poor Grian all the time...  
also me: *snorts line of Griangst*

Grian was pressed into a corner and curled into as tight of a ball as possible. One of the men that had attacked him was standing over him, prodding him with his sword every now and then. The small cuts and nicks the weapon left were all burning with pain, and he could see the gash on his cheek out of the corner of his eye that was leaking something black. 

Somehow, these people could inflict Wither with their weapons. That shouldn't even be possible, yet they seemed to know exactly what they were doing with it. With clever use of health potions, they were keeping him just above succumbing to the effects of the infection, and this man in particular seemed to enjoy tormenting him with this ability. 

“Seems your friends really don’t care about you huh?” he taunted, waving the sword around seemingly carelessly. However, Grian couldn't help but note how he kept it well away from him as to not accidently hurt him more than they intended to.

"How's it feel to be rejected?" The man snarled at him.

"N-no idea what you're talking about?" Grian stammered. They kept implying that the other hermits were not his friends, like they ‘d betrayed him somehow. He had no idea why they were trying to convince him of that, and simply put it down to just another way of trying to break him. It wouldn’t work however. He’d instantly became aware that several of them were outside trying to get to him right now almost as soon as he’d sent out the S.O.S message. He’d help them out more, but the man in front of him had quickly relieved him of his weapons and communicator, so it sat uselessly in a box outside. All he could do was wait. The man crouched down in front of him so that they were eye to eye. Grian tried to defiantly hold his gaze, but found he was shivering too much to do so.

“See? You know they don’t care about you! They’ll just happily while away their days like you never even existed.” The expression on the man’s face morphed into a leering grin.

“And how would you know that?” Grian hissed back.

"Well, if they did, they'd have thrown us that monster they've been hiding to get you back. But they didn't.” He brought his grinning face close to Grian's. Grian had to suppress the urge to slap him right there. Although if he managed to push this guy far enough, he might lose control and kill him, and he’d be able to respawn and escape.

Before he had the chance to lash out, the man had pulled away, and was mindlessly scraping his sword on the wall. The grating noise hurt Grian’s ears.

“How's it feel to be lower than a monster, huh?" 

“What are you even talking about?” Grian asked. “There is no monsters here? Other than you maybe…” The accusation evidently got on his nerves.

“Me monster? No, an ancient demon from the depths of the nether. Cold, heartless, will stop at nothing to erase our peaceful civilisations.” He started carving into the wall, and Grian covered his ears. “Brings chaos and destruction, able to burn our homes to the ground with it’s bare hands. It will stop by and just watch you struggle as you meet your demise, no emotion, no reaction to be seen in those blank eyes…”

“Ooh, you mean Herobrine. You’re after him?” Grian figured out. The mention of the name made the man shudder.

“I… still don’t see the monster comparison. I’d really rather spend time with him than you lot.” Grian taunted, trying his best to wind up his captor. “If anything, he seems alright. Not sure you’ve got the right guy.”

“Playing a dangerous game there kid. That thing’s probably brainwashed you. We’re here to save you lot from it.” He slammed the sword into the floor, making Grian jump. “That is, if they will let us. Yet unfortunately, it seems the demon has gotten to them. They’re abandoning their own friend in favour to protect that thing.”

“What?” It seemed that the man had gotten a certain idea in his head that Grian could barely make sense of. Apparently, Herobrine had brainwashed all of the hermits to force them into protecting him, and in doing so the hermits were refusing to give him over to these people who were hunting him in exchange for Grian back… were they holding him _ ransom? _

“Hold on… If this ‘Demon’ can so easily brainwash so many people, how has he not brainwashed you guys instead?”

“Easy, we are mentally much tougher than any of you weaklings are.”

Ah. the good ol’ holier than thou attitude. The statement pretty much confirmed to Grian that this man was talking out of his ass.

“Such a shame to see someone be abandoned like you have been… just a simple request, but they cannot complete it even to save a friend.” He let out a rough chuckle. “Give us the demon. Or even just answer tell us where it is.” He crouched down close to Grian again. “And they couldn’t do i-”

"I'm right here." 

The door slammed open. In the doorway, a dark figure stood, half hidden by shadow. However, flames were flickering around his fists, and the piercing white glare contrasted sharply with the dark shadows that hid his face. The hunters grin melted into a look of pure fear, and his hand shot out for his sword that was still embedded in the wood. He never got to grab it though before Herobrine had slammed him into the wall.

The wooden panels splintered under the impact, and Grian could feel the sheer force of it shudder through the floor. The sneery tone of the hunter’s voice was completely gone as he blubbered "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry let me go I didn't mean it I'm sorry-" and scratched and kicked to try and loosen Herobrine’s grip. Grian couldn't help but shudder at the sheer amount of power that he’d just witnessed.

The hunter was fixed with a death glare that, if it had gone on long enough, would probably have actually killed him if Herobrine didn't release his hand. He dropped to the floor in a heap, then scrambled out of the room as fast as he could, whimpering the entire time. Herobrine watched him go, then slowly, turned to stare at Grian. Grian gulped and felt himself shrink away. Herobrine took a step towards him, then crouched down and extended his hand towards him.

Thank goodness, the hunters were wrong after all.

\--

_ Didn't mean it my ass… _ Herobrine sighed as he watched the hunter flee. This must have been a newer recruit, as more experienced members of the group were rarely on their own. He turned to Grian, who was staring at him with fear in his eyes, and realized that he must have terrified the poor hermit with his aggressive actions. Oops. However, when Herobrine crouched down and extended a hand towards him, he quickly relaxed.

"Not hurting?" He said with uncertainty. Herobrine gave a quick nod, and smiled as Grian took his hand. They both slowly stood, and Grian swayed a bit on his feet.

"Ugh… Wither won't go away… head spinning…" a brief check told him of the cause. He grabbed the thorn stuck in Grian's neck and tugged it free. Grian stumbled from the sudden force and fell into the wall.

"Ow. What was… oh. Th-thanks." He stammered, cringing at the sight of the black thorn. Herobrine drop kicked it away and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the door behind him, then made a beckoning motion.

_ Come on, let's get out of here. _

"But those guys are everywhere?" Grian protested. It was true, they were. But with Flynn calling them to protect him, the outskirts should be hunter free. Not knowing how to explain this to the terrified hermit in front of him, he simply held his hand out, and when Grian took it, he slowly led him out of the room and then the building. As he predicted, the wall surrounding the town was devoid of people, so he quickly punched a hole in it and helped Grian through. He turned to ask him where he wanted to go, but was once again unable to speak the words. Of course, new person, can't talk. So he took his book out and wrote the question instead.

_ 'Where do you want to go?' _

Grian read it and shrugged.

"Dunno. A-anywhere but here." Not exactly the most helpful answer. Grian had taken a few steps forward but was now trying to steady himself on his feet. His shivering had increased, most likely from the cold wet rain that was soaking into his sweater.

"Changed my mind, h-how about somewhere with a bed and out of the rain. I think there's s-somewhere in Falsewell like that…" Herobrine closed his eyes, trying to remember what False had told him while walking through the modern town. Something about a moe-tell… he simply nodded, hoping Grian would know the way. Sure enough, the hermit took the lead, stopping every few steps to realign his brain with the plane he was standing on.

The journey was painfully slow, but they made it eventually. Grian fell onto the bed and curled into a ball, shivering as the water soaked into the blanket. Herobrine sat down on the floor beside the bed and summoned a flame, holding it close to Grian, but far enough away so it would not be a danger to him. Grian quickly took to the warmth, nearly hanging off the side if the bed to try and get closer to it.

Soon, the thunderstorm had dispersed, leaving only grey miserable skies and constant dampness. There was a knock on the door, and False let herself in without waiting for an answer.

"It's two diamonds per night you should know." She said with her hands on her hips. Her eyes drifted over the sight of Grian practically wrapping himself around the fire Herobrine was holding. 

"But anyway, is Grian alright? He did not look good according to Xisuma."

_ 'He had a Wither thorn stuck in his neck. No idea just how badly he's been affected but it seems rather grim.' _Herobrine wrote out. The sudden absence of the flame made Grian emit a small noise of protest.

"Oh dear…" False sighed. "I'll go grab some milk. Can't believe they tried to ransom him… who do they think they are?" she exited the room, leaving the door swinging behind her. Herobrine sat and waited patiently, keeping a worried eye on Grian. He lit his hand alight again, then extinguished it and repeated the action with his other hand to give his left a rest. He'd probably need it for writing after all. Soon enough, False had returned, and she tapped Grian gently on the shoulder to wake him. He groaned a bit and opened his eyes, and quickly accepted the milk that False was offering him.

“s…..s…….so.. . how... i...is the…” Herobrine stammered, then decided to swap to his book.

_ ‘How is the situation out there?’ _

“Nothing too bad. We managed to drive those guys away for now, and Grian’s safe. Like, wow, they are horrible. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many slurs shouted at me before…” She shuddered a bit. “And they think they’re the good guys. I’ll be glad when they’re gone.” Herobrine cringed, knowing he was the reason they were here in the first place.

_ ‘I’m sorry I led them here.’ _ He wrote out.

“Hey. Don’t you dare suggest leaving again!” False aggressively replied, making him flinch. “We can get through this, don’t worry. Look, we drove them off and only Doc got killed once, we can do it again.” Herobrine looked down guiltily.

_ ‘He’ll want me gone after that.’ _

False sighed, starting to get slightly annoyed at Herobrine constantly putting himself down.

“It really isn't your fault. Trust me.” She sat down beside him. 

_ ‘I distracted him and attracted more of the hunters over. He couldn't handle them all at once.’ _

False chuckled.

“Yes he could. Didn’t you see him? If it wasn't for those weird wither weapons they have he’d have been fine.” She reassured him. “No damage done, he got everything back.”

_ ‘I was more focused on hiding from the lightning than watching him.’ _Herobrine admitted.

“Okay, yeah, valid. He gets pretty scary when the lightning comes into play. But I promise, he tries to act all tough and threatening, but in reality he’s a huge goof." Herobrine cringed a bit at how much False's words contradicted his own personal experiences.

_ ‘I’ll judge that the next time I get a trident through the neck’ _ He wrote, then looked away. It felt awkward to be thinking something so different to how another would say a person actually was. A sudden thought came over him. Was he thinking about Doc what others often thought about _ him _? 

“Hey guys… ugh.” Both of them looked over to Grian, who was sitting with his head rested in his hands.

“Grian! How are you feeling?” False asked him.

“Head spinning… half frozen... but the Wither’s gone… what… happened back there?” He asked in a befuddled tone. Herobrine started writing as False went to explain.

“A band of hunters apparently. They attacked you right?”

“Yeah… was just looking at shop profits…” Grian confirmed.

“Right. They were saying they’d taken you hostage and were trying to make us tell them where Herobrine was. He broke you out apparently.” False looked over to Herobrine who held out his book.

_ ‘Those hunters have been after me for a long time. In coming here, I have led them straight to us, and they will stop at nothing to finally catch me. They will not hesitate with techniques worse than what happened today. Sorry.’ _

“No, once again, we do not want you to leave just because these guys showed their faces.” False said, as if reading Herobrine’s mind. “We can deal with this, I promise.” With a sigh, Herobrine turned away to look back at Grian, and noted how much he was shivering. He re lit the fire in his hand and held it towards him. Grian instantly shuffled closer to soak in as much warmth as possible. He'd wrapped himself in the blankets of the bed, and slowly but surely, the flame coupled with the cocoon started to seep some warmth back into his body.

During this time, False had taken her leave upon confirming that the two would be fine on their own. Grian's eyes were drooping, and it was not long before he'd slumped over and was fast asleep. Herobrine let the fire burn out and dropped his hand, which was numb with the effort of the sustained hot flame. His head was whirling with thoughts and theories as he tried to fit everything together. Every little noise that seeped in through the door made him jump, and he noted to himself that maybe sitting here wallowing in his own mind wouldn't help him any.

With one final check on Grian, he left his book open on the side with a short note of his absence, then went to the door and stepped outside. A wander around should help him clear his head, plus he still had a load of quartz to deliver.

The small town in hermitland definitely displayed it's status as a former battleground. Dirt was scuffed all over the place, arrows stuck out of walls, some fires crackled in various places, and the entire area stank of the blood that was splattered on many surfaces. Herobrine quickly decided he wanted nothing to do with the place, and went in the opposite direction. Since the fight, the district had been all but deserted as the people retreated to lick their wounds and mentally recover from the event. So it was a surprise then to see someone hard at work building a new structure as if nothing had happened. As Herobrine drew closer, he ducked away behind a wall and stuck his head out to observe.

The structure was a tall yellow tower, lined with Redstone powered lamps. Behind the lamps, the casing of several of some sort of device could be seen, each one leading into a lamp. The man who was working stood back, looking over the structure and thinking out loud about how to make it look better. It was clear he did not know what sort of style he was going for, and had relented to building a box instead. Herobrine crept closer, and heard the complaints from the man of the building looking way too flat. That would be an easy fix.

"Maybe frame the lamps in the concrete a bit more?" He suggested quietly, mostly to himself. The man heard him though, and turned a bit, revealing a full moustache on his face. It was the one from the redstone ball place. For some reason, he didn't react to the sudden appearance of a person behind him, instead just replying with "Maybe? I'll give it a go." and hopped off his vantage point to try out what Herobrine had said. Herobrine sat down and crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand to watch him go.

The concrete framing around the lamps certainly did help, the shape was already much more interesting to look at. Moustache man certainly agreed.

"Yep, definitely. You're onto something here, I like this." He stashed the yellow concrete away.

"I'd say it needs something on the sides though… I do like that stripey theme, maybe I can…" his rambling became intelligible as he went away again, thinking ideas over out loud and placing and breaking blocks in attempts to sketch out the structure.

He seemed uncertain in his building, almost as if he was rather unfamiliar with it. Herobrine wasn't sure why though. Assuming Moustache had built the massive sphere of his base, he seemed to be a pretty good architect. A small building shouldn't be that much of a problem, whatever this thing was going to be. He seemed to have landed on a designed he liked, one of similar structure to the yellow, but made out of two shades of grey instead. He quickly went and mirrored the style on the other side, but swapped the shades around. With the main structure completed, he stood back on his shulker mound to admire it. 

“That looks pretty cool! Now… to figure out the redstone…” he dove into a bright red shulker box that was practically overflowing with redstone components, and started dragging out item after item, some of which Herobrine couldn't figure out what it would possibly be useful in. Was that a weird mutant form of a repeater? When Moustache Man had walked away, he quietly opened the box and grabbed one of the weird components. It definitely resembled a repeater, but had many more parts to it. He found that some of them could be flicked on and off, and it was strangely satisfying to do so repeatedly. However, he stashed the thing back in Moustache's box before he got carried away and stole it unintentionally.

The hum of redstone Signal caught his attention, and he slowly made his way over to where Moustache was working. There was a metal bowl shaped component built into the side of the structure he’d made. A hopper, Herobrine managed to identify it as. His knowledge of the various devices had diminished over the years as more and more were invented, so he took pride in himself for managing to identify at least one of what was being used here. As for the rest of it… He looked over the strange loop that was filled in with mutant repeaters, torches and lines of dust and shook his head.

“What is this?” He found himself asking out loud. Moustache made a happy noise, as if he’d been waiting for the opportunity to explain something to someone.

“It’s an item sorter!” He opened a hopper and arranged some items inside it. “The comparator takes an output from this hopper here when there’s items in it, and I’ve made sure that a certain signal strength is emitted with these items here.” He showed off the carefully arranged hopper. Herobrine nodded in an understanding fashion while not actually understanding anything at all.

“This hopper cannot actually accept any items other than this one here.” He showed off a gleaming golden nugget. “The treasure tokens for our treasure hunt game me and Iskall are making. If someone throws in anything else… say, a baked potato.” He paused and looked around rather shiftily. “Not that I am naming names here… then it won't go into the hopper.” He demonstrated this by dropping some redstone dust into it. Sure enough, the hopper remained closed. 

“However, when a nugget is thrown in, it will accept it and change the Signal strength emitted by the comparator. This will in turn de power this torch down here which is locking the hopper down here. This lets the nugget travel through into the system, which I’ll take an output from into some sort of randomizer which will make the other end spit out a diamond. Or a diamond block. Or nothing. Most likely nothing.”

“Ah. makes sense.”

It did not make any sense in the slightest.

“And the randomizer works by-”

Dear Notch, what had he unleashed.

\--

Despite the mind melting explanations that seemed to drag on forever, the treasure hunt building was completed in due time. Moustache had opted to add in some note blocks for effect, and that was a component Herobrine actually knew how to use. He’d helped tune the note blocks with use of his own Redstone Signal, and soon they were standing out the front and testing the final build. Moustache threw a nugget into the machine, and the lights on the front began to dance and the small tune played. Afterwards, a disappointing note played out, and the dropper spat out nothing but a puff of air.

“No good.” He exclaimed, then immediately contradicted with “that’s quite good!” 

He chuckled and muttered to himself as he threw another nugget in. The lights turned on and off again, but this time a happy note played, and a blue gemstone dropped out of the other end.

“Ooh! Nice!” He went over to retrieve the diamond, and stood back right next to Herobrine.

“Here you go!” He said, pushing the diamond into Herobrine’s hands. Herobrine blinked down at it, somewhat taken aback. It has been so long since he’d held one of the precious jewels, he’d almost forgotten the strange giddy excitement that people generally felt whenever they did so. He held it aloft, examining how the internal structure diffused the light through it, and the beautiful crisp blue that almost matched the colour of the sky. Meanwhile, Moustache was complimenting the machine he had made, seemingly immune to the captivating draw of a diamond. 

“This works, and it works well, and it sounds cool, and it looks cool, and it is cool!” Not the terminology one would expect from the mouth of a man who was dressed like he was, but the contrast made him oddly charming in a way.

“Am I cool? I don’t know if I’m cool...” 

“Yeah, you are…” Herobrine said quietly. This man had a great understanding of technology that Herobrine hadn’t the first clue about. That would make anyone cool in his books.

“Oh really? Thank you… uh… mister…” For the first time, Moustache actually seemed to cotton on to the fact that the person he’d been hanging out with wasn’t someone he actually knew. He turned to look at Herobrine with a confused expression.

“Wait, are you-” Where Herobrine was stood, nothing remained but a floating cloud of purple particles. Mumbo looked around, completely dumbfounded.

“Was that… how… why… what on earth?”

\--

Behind a nearby wall, Herobrine listened to the confused stutterings of the Moustache Man with his hand clamped firmly over his mouth to try and stifle the giggles that were rising within him. He’d made it into a mini game to see just how long he could stick around before Moustache realized someone was maybe not where they were meant to be. And the longer time went on, the more hilarious it became. Herobrine wasn’t sure how someone could be so well versed in one thing yet so oblivious to another.

He set off down the path, making sure to stay out of sight of the treasure hunting building. He still had to get back to Keralis to deliver the quartz he’d promised. As he passed the small shops, he paused, then decided the place the diamond he’d been given in the chest of golden carrots he’d taken from before. Debt paid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _DEAR GOD I HOPE THAT IS HOW AN ITEM SORTER WORKS_
> 
> also comparators are minecraft fidgets spinners don't @ me


	14. Oh no not again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it turns out they were not done. None of them were.

The sun was dipping below the horizon by the time Herobrine got back to Keralis’s village. He approached the door of the barn and gently knocked on it.

“Come in!” Came the voice of Keralis from inside. Herobrine cracked the door open and peered inside, instantly meeting the enormous gaze of of the inhabitant within. His face broke into a huge smile.

“Herri! I heard something went down today and that you were involved? I was worried!” He stood and ran over to him, opening the door wide to let him in. Herobrine flinched as Keralis caught sight of his shirt, which had been thoroughly ruined, mostly by False.

“Oh no… Oh well… I’m glad you’re okay.” Herobrine stepped inside and quickly placed down the shulkers of quartz he had collected. Keralis’s eyes became even wider as he looking inside each of them.

“Wow! Thank you so much! This is a lot of quartz!” Herobrine reached into his pocket for his book, but found nothing in its place. Of course, he’d left it with Grian. Keralis was busy stashing the boxes away, so he just poked him on the arm.

“Hm?”

With no way to communicate words, Herobrine had to resort to gestures. He pointed to the shulker boxes, then to himself, then made a “no” gesture while shaking his head.

“Here, use this.” Keralis said, handing him a sign. With a sigh of relief, Herobrine placed the sign down and scratched _ ‘Shulker boxes belong to False, she wants them back’ _ on it.

“Ooh, ah. I understand” Keralis pulled the boxes out again, and began to unload the quartz into separate containers. “How did you get this without a pickaxe?” He asked. Herobrine took out the pick he’d been given, then stared down at it guiltily.

“Oops…” 

Keralis let out a chuckle.

“I guess False gave you that as well. Were you supposed to keep it?” his question was answered with a shrug. Herobrine placed the pick into one of the now empty shulkers and lifted it off the ground, then nodded and smiled at Keralis.

_ Guess I should get these back to False… and also grab my book… _He thought to himself as he turned back to the door, and was just about to open it when a heavy knock came from the other side. He jumped back a bit, and focused on who could be on the other side. A chill ran through every bone in his body when it turned out to be the strong metallic presence of a certain lightning welding cyborg. He quickly skittered back and up the ladder to hide in the loft. Keralis watched him go with a confused look, then went over to the door. It creaked open, revealing Doc standing on the other side.

“Ah! Hi!”

“Hello Keralis.” Doc stepped inside, not waiting to be welcomed in. “I heard from Bdubs that you had a house guest?” 

_ No, no, no, no, no- _

“Yea! He’s up the ladder, hiding for some reason.”

_ Keralis why? _

“Is he now?” The heavy thuds of Doc climbing the ladder sent a new wave of fear through Herobrine. The metal hand reached over the lip of the platform and slammed a bit too heavily down, sending the vibration rattling through Herobrine’s bones. If such an action was meant to intimidate him, it certainly worked. Herobrine had completely curled into as small a ball as he could as Doc approached him.

“Well, hello there.” The end of Doc’s trident hit the floorboards with a loud thunk as he crouched down. “You and I… We need to have a little talk-”

“Please, no weapons in the barn!” Keralis had appeared behind Doc and grabbed his trident, trying his hardest to tug it out of the cyborg’s grasp. Doc pulled the weapon back with a confused “What?”

“Village rules. No wings in the village, no weapons in the barn.”

“Keralis, you’ve got weapons stored downstairs.”

“Look, You’re scaring him, and when he gets scared he starts setting things on fire. And I don’t want him to set my barn on fire.” Keralis paused for a moment, looking down a bit and wringing his hands together

“I… also just don’t want him to be scared… anymore.”

Doc had gone completely still, but it was easy to see the heavy amount of internal conflict going on in his head. Slowly, his grip around the trident loosened, and he lowered it to the floor and let go.

“There. No weapons.”

Keralis grabbed the trident and dragged it off the edge, and it clattered harshly to the ground below. 

“Spank you!” He smiled. Doc’s blank expression did not falter, however.

“Do you have any idea what you are dealing with here? Any idea of what this guy can do to you?” He asked coldly.

“Plenty!” Keralis answered back, pointing at the scorched wall to his right. “Poor Cleo never stood a chance.”

“Wait, you watched him kill Cleo? And you’re still defending him?” Doc spluttered out incredulously with his eye fixed on the burnt wood.

“It was a complete accident. Sashwhammyvoid was here helping him with some injuries, and I sink he hit a tender spot. He felt really bad afterwards, never meant to do it.” Keralis grinned at the cyborg, hoping that he’d managed to smooth the situation over. Unfortunately, Doc was not convinced. He flexed his hand and the trident suddenly flew from the ground below back into his fist.

“I don’t think you know what you are dealing w-” Doc’s sentence was cut short by the loud splintering of wood. The form of Herobrine that was sitting before them was now gone, and a hole had appeared in the wall.

“Now look at what you did.” Keralis said mock accusingly, then sighed. “Please, I know you and him did not get off to a great start, but I promise you, he isn’t bad!” He grabbed Doc’s arm to prevent the cyborg from going after his escaped houseguest. “He’s just scared!”

“Of what?? What does someone like him have to be afraid of? He can shoot _ fire _for goodness sake!” Doc tore his arm free.

“Well… you for one example. You nearly killed him!” Keralis forcefully grabbed and turned Doc’s head to point down at the floor around the messy hay bale that Herobrine had been using as a bed.

“Look at all this blood everywhere! You did this to him! Why wouldn’t he be scared?” He let go of Doc’s head with a sigh. “I know that I would be…”

Doc stared at the huge stains that practically painted the wood a dull reddish brown. 

“And what about what he did to us? He’s been stalking and attacking us all over the place!”

“Are you sure about that? Or did you attack him first on the basis of preconceived beliefs?” Doc stopped and blinked, as if realization had suddenly struck him.

“And. other things he’s done?” He asked, almost to himself.

“Since coming here, He hasn’t lifted a finger against anybody other than the accident with ZombieCleo. In fact, he even went and got four full shoolker boxes of quartz for me, just to say 'spank you for helping me!' Isn’t that nice of him?"

"Your first thought on meeting him was to… help him?"

"Yea, he looked like he needed help, being kind of curled up in the attic of my barn, bleeding out everywhere and all that." Keralis curled his fingers around some if the bloodstained straw and lifted it, twirling it around in his fingers.

"Why wouldn't I want to help him? Why would we turn away anyone in need of help? That's not what we are about! Not at all!" He let the hay fall from his hand. "So please, don't just see him as the bad guy he is not. The only reason he comes off as bad is because everyone does bad things to him. If someone tried to do good instead, like I did, then you will see a very different side to him. A… lonely side. One that only wanted a friend."

Doc's angry look slowly morphed into a more neutral one, then from that into one of slight sadness.

“Not what we’re about… We’re all friends here.” 

“Are you seeing what I’m getting at now? He’s not dangerous or out to get us, he’s just scared and wants to fit in somewhere. Of what he’s scared of, I'm not actually sure…” Keralis admitted.

“Probably… probably those… bandits…” Doc said quietly. The trident dropped to the floor.

“Bandits?” Keralis asked. “What bandits?”

“Earlier today, Grian got attacked and taken hostage by a group of people. While we were fighting them, they told me that they were hunting him. Even asked me to join them, then stabbed me with those Wither blades when I refused.” He sat down and rested his elbows on his knees. “I… understand now…”

“Yea? I remember Sashwhammy mentioning that Herri had been affected by Wither… So you’re saying that those bad people did it? And they’ve been chasing him?”

Doc paused for a minute, then nodded.

“I guess.” He let out a long sigh “And that’ll be why he acts the way he does… It makes sense now. I… I’m sorry. I think the whole… getting my arm torn off by him thing got to my head a bit…”

“I guess it brought back the memory of it happening the first time?” Keralis said sympathetically. Doc was just about to confirm this when the door of the barn slammed open. They both jumped and looked over the side to see Herobrine sprawled on the floor.

“Herri? Are you okay?” Keralis jumped down and landed beside him, then gasped when he saw a few arrows sticking out of his back. “Oh no…” Herobrine shakily pointed behind him and out of the door. Doc had joined them on the ground floor, and he followed Herobrine’s finger to see three armoured hunters running towards them. They stopped in their tracks at the sight of Doc.

“Oh shit, another mutant creeper.” One of them shouted, holding their crossbow out and letting a bolt loose. The arrow whistled through the air and struck Doc in the chest. Unluckily for the hunters, they’d failed to take into account Doc’s cybernetic-ness, so the projectile bounced harmlessly off the metal part of his body and clattered harmlessly to the floor. 

"Are these the baddies you mean?" Keralis asked, half hiding behind Doc.

"Yes." The trident left his hand and scraped against the thick metal armour, and dug into the soil behind them. The hunters responded to the attack by letting loose a barrage of arrows, which keralis quickly slammed the barn door shut on. The thunks of the arrows digging into the wood was soon followed by loud splintering, and the head of an axe busted through the door and was twisted out, letting in the dimming sunlight. The clang of Doc’s trident striking the wall was heard, making him curse. He barged his way out of the barn with a sword out and ready to strike, and clashed it down on the axe of a hunter that was right outside. The other two jumped back in surprise from the attack.

"Watch out, these bastards 'ave a taste for blood!" The axe wielder warned.

"More like a taste for blades." One of the others shot back while swinging a sword right at Doc's head. Doc ducked under the swipe, and quickly equipped himself with a set of diamond armour. He held his hand out to the side, and the trident landed firmly in his grasp. His mouth pulled into a wide grin at the oncoming battle.

"Bring it on."

Keralis clicked the barn door shut and slowly backed away to sit down next to Herobrine, who was still lying on the floor. 

"You okay?" His head shifted in a slight nod.

"I'm sorry about Mr Docm77, I didn't know he was after you. I sink I managed to convince him to not be though." He chuckled quietly. “Since he is out there fighting them and not in here fighting you!” Herobrine couldn't help but smirk a bit at the comment.

“C...can we get away from here?” He asked. Keralis quickly nodded and pulled Herobrine to his feet.

“Seems like a good idea. I’m sure Doc will be fine!” Herobrine felt himself getting dragged towards the back door of the barn. “Where do you want to go?”

“Falsewell motel.” He replied. “Left something there.”

“Alright! Let’s a go!” Keralis cheerfully announced, opening the door of the barn and leading the way out. “Let’s move quick, shall we?”

\--

Theoretically, the fight should have been a quick and easy one. With the protection of his god armour, he was way more prepared to face against the hunters than last time, and much wiser to what dirty tricks they would pull to gain the upper hand. And for a good while, the theory held true. Doc was easily pushing the intruders back and away from new new Hermitville with calculated attacks, even with it being a three against one. At one point, one of the hunters disappeared from the battle, levelling the field even more in his favour. However, the armour of the hunters, despite only being iron tier, was unnaturally sturdy.

Both sword and trident blows simply skittered off the thick metal plating, so Doc was using the force of the strikes to knock them back instead of attempting to do any actual damage. He often found himself wondering just why Herobrine was so scared of these guys. The mythical man was certainly a much tougher opponent than the hunters could ever hope to be. Doc couldn't help but feel he was missing something.

That something, he soon realized, was the fact that there were now five of them. He ducked as an arrow whistled over his head and embedded itself into a tree, and spun around to see three more behind him. The hunter that had left the fight must have gone to get help. They closed in on him scarily fast, and Doc had very few openings to escape. As a smoking diamond sword slashed down onto his position, he quickly switched to a shovel and dug himself downwards into the earth, placing dirt over his head. He sighed in relief at the brief respite and took the chance to chomp down a golden carrot. The hiss of a fuse being lit reached his ears, and he froze. Oh no they have TNT-? 

The explosion sent dirt and rocks flying everywhere, and the heat and shockwave slammed into Doc's back, sending him sprawling to the floor. The numerous hunters began to spill over the edge of the crater, and they descended on him like vultures to a corpse. However, he was not a corpse just yet. He vaulted himself to his feet and struck out with his trident in one hand, sword in the other. The blade of the sword actually managed to slip in between the plates of two of the hunter's armour, and they cried out as the enchanted fire caught onto their clothes.

With a narrow path of escape cleared, Doc dashed his way through, knocking over three more hunters as he ran. Only, to his horror, the outside of the crater held yet more hunters. There was no time to react as three fireworks exploded right in his face. The loud noise left his ears ringing, and he blinked to attempt to clear his vision. The hands of several people gripped onto him tightly, and he thrashed around to shake them off.

So that's what he was missing. These hunters were fully equipped to take advantage of any opening they had, and were quick to overwhelm in sheer numbers alone. He could feel the weapons being torn out of his hands, no matter how tightly he gripped down on them. It seemed unlikely he would be getting out of this situation alive, so screw it. Shaking off the last of the stun from the fireworks, Doc let himself loose on his assailants, punching, kicking, scratching and even once biting down on an arm that was thrown around his neck to restrain him. The reaction of the hunters was to close in around him tighter, leaving him next to no room to move.

The hands gripping his arms tightened their hold, and one of the hunters in front of him pulled a tipped arrow out. He brought it down and stabbed it deep into Doc's neck, then stepped back. Suddenly, everyone else let go and backed away, leaving Doc to stumble and fall to the floor. He grabbed the arrow and ripped it out, glaring at the hunters that circled him, and jumped to his feet. Those closest to him drew back, confusing him greatly. Were they not going to finish him off? What was happening? He looked down at the arrow in his hand. The colour stained into the wooden shaft was not familiar to him. What had they… inflicted on him…? Was it Wither? No… the wound was not… disintegrating around the edges… so… what was… why… 

With joyful cheers, the hunters closed in on the crumpled form of their latest capture. This would be a huge help to them finally reaching their goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought this was Griangst? HAH  
this is Doc angst now
> 
> pulled a lil sneaky on ya.


	15. New discoveries by New faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new character shows her face, mostly because I cannot structure stories.

The heavy footsteps and the sound of something being dragged towards the small locked carriage stirred Diana from her daydreaming. She opened her eye as the chains locking one of the doors rattled and dropped to the floor. The door scraped open, and with some grunts of effort, something was roughly thrown into the small compartment. 

“Fuckin thing is so heavy…” Came the complaining voice of Forrest. The dim light that filtered in cut out as the door slammed shut, and the chains rattled to lock the carriage once again. Diana held her breath as the footsteps faded away. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet and peered through the bars of the partitioning wall between the compartments of the carriage.

On the other side of the wall, something was stuffed into the confined space that seemed to be way too small for it to fit. It was humanoid in shape, and appeared to be wearing a tattered labcoat and some sort of device with a red glowing light on their arm and shoulder. It was too dark to make out any more details about them.

“Hello?” She whispered. There was no answer, however she could tell this person was alive from the sound of their breathing. She sighed and sat back down, closing her eye again. The clamour of the Herobrine Hunters slowly died down as they went to sleep for the night. Soon, the only sounds were the soft footsteps of a creeper as it padded around the campsite, and the heavy, presumably drugged breathing from behind the wall.

She got to her feet again and peered out of the small window in the door, watching the creeper intently as it stopped by the embers of the fire and examined it a bit, sometimes poking at the ash with one of its feet. It then turned away and wandered off into the night. Feeling slightly disappointed, Diana sat back down and slid her hand under the pile of blankets she'd been given as a bed, and pulled out a lantern. It illuminated the small room brightly, revealing what little furnishings she had installed in the cramped space.

The entire carriage was split into four compartments, but she been allowed to take out a few walls so that she had a bit more space, so three of them were joined together in an L shape. The two doors on the port side of the carriage had been bolted shut to convert it into a wall, and in the compartment furthest from her door, the blankets had been stuffed in the space to make a shabby bed. Above the bed were a few planks to make a storage shelf, and on the shelf were some stacks of books and papers, along with a few bottles filled with various potion ingredients. Opposite from the bed, another larger plank was attached to the wall, with a smaller one below it to make a table and chair she could sit on.

When these were not in use, they could be folded back to allow for more space, a contraption she took a lot of pride in. It wasn't anything special, since it didn't even use any Redstone, but being confined to a tiny horse drawn carriage as a prisoner to a bunch of loud assholes was rather demoralising, so it was good to look for small victories wherever she could find them. On the table sat an open journal, with a hand drawn picture of a skeleton horse on the pages and various notes written around in chicken scratch. Diana grabbed the book with its quill, hooked the lantern to the ceiling and peered into the separate compartment to take a better look at this new person.

Writing in a ridiculous amount of detail about someone she didn't know who was passed out in front of her would come off creepy at any other time, but when you're stuck in a boring prison cell, one tends to find any possible way to while away the hours. Thus, a new entry was created in her journal:

_ Examination of a new and unusual form of _ Excintacitum herbisimilior _ . _

_A new and previously unknown form of the _Excintacitum_ genus_ _was discovered and captured from an unknown location. It appears to comprise of many anatomical features similar to _E. herbisimilior_, however, the overall shape of the body and positions and proportions of limbs differs greatly from that of _E. herbisimilior_. This paper will lay out a detailed description of the subject, as well as call into question their relation to their wild counterpart._

_ Anatomical Description_

_Overall Body Shape.__ Subject appears to be a form of _Excintacitum herbisimilior _(common creeper) that_ _has the body plan of a human person. They can be estimated to be around 6 feet tall, however further measurements are impossible due to inability to access the subject directly, and the unusual positioning of the subject's body upon time of examination. Unreviewed testing has described the subject as “heavy”, which indicates the presence of a high amount of muscle mass._

_Head. _ _ The structure of the subject’s skull appears to be intermediate between the shape of the skull of an _ E. herbisimilior _ and the skull of a human. Facial structure is more similar to _ E. herbisimilior _ whilst the cranial structure closely resembles that of a human. The exposed skin of the subject’s face is identical in texture to that of _ E. herbisimilior _ , but lacks the usual short integument that is usually present in the facial area. The head of the subject is covered in short brown hair, which appears to be similar in structure to that of human hair. This is an unusual sight to see on an _ Excintacitum _ , which usually have head integument consisting of the plant like material that covers the rest of the body._

_Forelimb._ _ The left forelimb has a skin texture similar to the face of the subject. The structure is visually identical in shape to a human forelimb. Right forelimb cannot be described for reasons stated later._

_Hindlimb. _ _ Both hind limbs seem intact, and are also human in shape and proportion, with the exception of the feet which are closer in structure to that of _ E. herbisimilior_. Skin texture is once again the same as the rest of the subject’s body._

_Inorganic structures._

_Clothing._ _The subject is wearing clothing that consists of a torn labcoat, and jeans that are in similar condition. This is obstructive of any further analysis of the body of the subject._

_Cybernetics._ _ The left eye of the subject is covered by an inorganic metal device that emits a red light. This device appears to be a mechanical model for an eye. It is unknown whether this replaces the eye, or is merely an enhancement for it. The left half of the face of the subject is metallic underneath the ocular device. The right arm of the subject is also inorganic, and consists of the same material that the ocular device is constructed of. Unlike the former technology, it is clear this is a replacement limb to fill in for the absence of an organic one._

_ Conclusions. _

_Because of the presence of clothing on the subject, it can be confidently deduced that they would have a level of intelligence on par with that of humans. It can even be reasonably hypothesised that they may even exceed that level, due to the integrated technology present on the subject._

_ I propose the name of the species of the subject to be _ Excintacitum sapiens _ until further study to determine if they can be placed in the same genus as _ E. herbisimilior _ . _

_ Wait how would I even test that. I can't just ask a guy to fuck a creeper._

The paragraphs soon filled the page, alongside a crude sketch of the creature she was studying. As the words spelled themselves out under her quill, Diana felt her eyes begin to droop closed. She wiped the ink off the quill and closed it in her book before any overpowering sleepiness would spill some ugly marks on her journal. As she rested her head on her knees, there was the sound of something stirring from the other compartment. There was a soft thud and a quiet groan, and Diana shook off the oncoming sleep and stood up once again.

She carefully peered into the compartment and saw that her cellmate had shifted to now be laying on their back, at least attempting to in the confined space. Their one visible eye was cracked open slightly, and they seemed to be in the stages of recovering from the potent sleep-inducing drug that the Herobrine Hunters possessed a stockpile of.

"He-lloooo!" She called out quietly. The response she got was a slurred grunt and a light thump of a metallic hand against the wall. Were they aggressive?

_ Behaviour. _

_First interaction with the subject was met with a response that could be interpreted as a threat. However, the mental state of the subject was evidently compromised at the time of interaction. There will be a period of rest until next attempt for more conclusive results._

She slipped the book under the blankets of her bed along with the lantern, and wrapped herself in them and closed her eye. It would probably take hours for them to recover fully from the effects of the drug, so in the meantime, she should get some rest herself.

  
\--

"So, you're saying that he was just there, hanging out with you and you didn't even realise?" Grian asked incredulously. Mumbo looked down and nodded slightly, feeling the embarrassed blush on his cheeks. Grian sighed and facepalmed. 

"Only you, Mumbo, only you…" he shifted on the bed and winced slightly at the small injuries that were still on his body. Mumbo quickly took notice of this.

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" He asked with a tone of slight concern.

"Yeah, I'm good. Basically, there's this band of criminals or something that are all out to get Herobrine. They attacked me and tried to hold me ransom for him, hence all of the ah-ooh-ow…" he paused for a moment. "All of the scrapes. I'll be fine though, Hero was actually the one to get me out of there. I think he's currently staying in the new Hermitville town. At least that's what he said in this book." Grian pointed to the book on the side next to the bed. Mumbo grabbed it and opened it, reading through all the disjointed sentences.

"Does he write in this a lot? These look like one sided conversations."

"First of all, rude, secondly, yeah, he seems to be mostly non-verbal. He just writes down what he wants to say." Grian snatched the book from Mumbo and set it back on the side. 

"He did speak to me, a bit." Mumbo said.

"Same. I think it just depends on how he feels at the time." Grian frowned slightly. "Maybe he just recognized how much of a spoon you were, and that you are literally unable to hurt a fly? I dunno, if I was in his shoes I'd be happy to speak with that." 

"Oh come on. I didn't have _ that _much of a spoon moment there." Mumbo protested.

"You were literally there explaining redstone to _ Herobrine _ and somehow _ didn't realise _ it was him." Grian shot back. "That in itself is a huge spoon."

"I'll have you know-"

A knock on the door startled them both.

"K-nock k-nock?" Mumbo shifted and spotted a huge pair of eyes peeping in through the door.

"Keralis?" 

"Bumboooo!" Keralis opened the door and hopped inside, engulfing Mumbo in a big hug. "It's been so long! I missed you!" 

"You too, buddy." Mumbo said while returning the hug. He shifted his eyes to meet a pair of blank white ones that were peering in through the doorway. They disappeared out of sight.

"Oh, it's him!" Mumbo let go of Keralis and wriggled out of his grasp.

"Who? Oh, Herri?" Keralis leaned out of the door. 

"Come in Herri, Bumbo won't hurt you!" 

"Wait, Bumbo?" Came the quiet voice from outside. Herobrine poked his head in, then shyly stepped into the room. He kept his gaze trained on the floor in an attempt to ignore all of the eyes on him. The door clicked shut, making him jump. He slowly made his way to the back corner and slid down to the floor, half burying his face in his arms. Keralis had looked away and was now staring at Grian.

"I thought Hero said he was going to be at your village?" Grain asked, grabbing the book.

"Yea, some baddies appeared… Doc went to fight them and me and Herri got away." Keralis explained.

"Wait those people are at your village? Why haven't you told X?" Grian quickly pulled his communicator out.

"I… thought Doc could handle it…" Keralis admitted. He looked down at his hands and shuffled awkwardly. "He went straight out there when they appeared, was all like "come at me bro!" While dual wielding weapons… how could I not sink he would be fine?"

As Keralis was talking, Grian felt a presence beside him. He looked around and saw Herobrine sitting on the bed next to him, sneaking sideways glances every now and then. 

"Hey, you forgot this." Grain said quietly, holding Herobrine's book out towards him. He took it slowly, then nodded slightly in thanks and opened it. On the most recent page, he noticed a new paragraph that he had not written himself.

_ 'Thanks for the help back there. I knew you weren't as bad as people say. _

_ -G' _

Aaand there were tears in his eyes. Herobrine did his best to wipe them away as discreetly as he could, but evidently failed as Grian said

"Aw… are you crying? It's okay." And then proceeded to wrap his arms around him. He froze, unsure of what to do in this unfamiliar situation.

"You're supposed to hug him back." Keralis suggested suddenly from beside him, once again giving him another small heart attack. 

_ Please stop doing that… _

But Herobrine took the advice and returned the embrace tightly, making Grian squeak.

"Have you… never had a hug before or something?" He gasped out. "That's one hell of a lot of huggage you're doing there." Herobrine loosened his grip a bit with a pang of guilt. Other than the Villagers from a few days ago… he shook his head. The other time was a memory he'd rather forget. 

"That's… actually really sad… Mumbo come hug him." 

"I'd really rather not…?" Mumbo answered, but got pushed towards them by Keralis anyway. 

"As the boss of the Architechs, I order you to hug him." Grian reaffirmed. With a sigh, Mumbo quickly wrapped his arms around them both, then pulled away.

"There you go." 

Herobrine had to close his eyes to stop the tears from spilling. Unfortunately, they still found their way through and ran down his face. So many emotions that he couldn't even fathom were boiling inside him, and it took all his willpower to not just lose it right there and then. When he opened his eyes again, he found that the embrace had been broken, but the blankets of the bed were wrapped around his shoulders and Grian was gently patting the top of his head.

"There there, it's alright now." He said in a soothing tone.

And for once, Herobrine believed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *casually inserts a scientific paper into a fuckin fanfiction*  
I totally did not take a crash course in Latin to write this. Or think of an actual scientific name for a fictional green penis monster.
> 
> Fake internet cookies will be awarded to whoever can figure out the meaning of _Excintacitum herbisimilior_ first


	16. The collection of items.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Drones get a tour of the server while He gets a tour of a shop.

Xisuma flew over new new Hermitville, scanning left and right for any sign of the hunters Grain had tipped him off about. Behind him, Bdubs was closely following, expressing his great displeasure in his town being invaded by "bad guys". 

"They be comin in my town, and blowing great big holes everywhere. Who do they think they are?"

"No idea Bdubs… I'm pretty sure you're the one who blew up Iskalls house though." X answered back.

"Yeah, but I'm not talkin about that." Bdubs said whilst suddenly closing his elytra and dropping down. X did a u turn and dived down after him, spotting what he was complaining about. Sure enough, there was a large crater blown into the earth. Around it, the vegetation looked flattened, as if some sort of fight had broken out. Xisuma landed on the edge of the crater while Bdubs was at the bottom of it, scuffling around.

"Grian said that Doc would be here fighting them off… can you see him?" The wide eyes of Bdubs appeared before him.

"No, but I found this!" He said, holding out a torn piece of white fabric. X took it off of him and examined it closely. It definitely looked like a piece of Doc's lab coat. He pocketed the scrap and looked around, enabling a setting on his visor to help him spot anything out of the ordinary. Soon, it had found a single arrow laying in the impacted grass. A close inspection revealed the wood was stained with both indigo blood and some sort of potion. More evidence. 

"What happened here? Where's Doc? I didn't see him die or anything…" Bdubs was back, tapping on his communicator. "Doc… are… you… okay…" Xisuma took out his own communicator, quickly opening the admin commands and typing in Doc's ID. A set of coordinates appeared on the screen.

"Uh, Xisuma, I don't think Doc's the one with his chat." Bdubs said, holding the screen out for the admin to read. On it said

**<Docm77 > Bdoubleo100> who the fuck is doc**

**<Docm77 > Bdoubleo100> oh**

**<Docm77 > Bdoubleo100> thanks lol**

Xisuma looked back to the coordinates, noting how they had stopped changing, as if whoever was holding the device it was tracking wasn't moving anymore. Then they suddenly shifted, then went still again.

"Well, it's the best lead we got, let's go!" With a burst of fireworks, Bdubs took off into the sky. Xisuma closed his communicator and tucked it away. His hand was shaking slightly, in both anger and worry. What had they done to Doc? With a twist of a firework, he zoomed into the sky after Bdubs.

\--

The coordinates X had received were soon reached, and the two hermits started gliding down into the thick roofed forest. Bdubs instantly spotted something and grabbed it, revealing it to be a communication device.

"Yep, it's Doc's." He said, turning the screen on. The feelings inside Xisuma increased tenfold, and he had to take a deep breath to still the shaking of his hands.

"Those… those… how could they?" He muttered to himself.

"Can't you just ban them?" Bdubs asked.

"I tried. Look at what happens." X answered, opening the admin controls. He turned the screen to face Bdubs and typed in.

**<xisumavoid> /ban Flynn_Rightwood**

** _Exception at /ba̲̯̹̫̫n̴̟̦͚ a̾ͬ̍͊̿̏͊͟t͔̤͚̹ͬͥ͗̾ͨͬ ̸͓̘̍͑̒ͯͦͨ̅l̩̪͒ͧi̟̎̅̋n͓͕̝̖̼͖ͣ̏ȅ̢̪̘ ͩ͆͆-̪̯̩̏̎͊͋̉̇̍1̢ͫ̈́̀̔́̈ͯ ̳͖̻̩̯͓̫̋̈̾̈̋̑͗(̵̟͎͖͉̼̈́ͯ̀̄͡E̠̬̟̳̗ͯ̌̈́ͦͩ̑ͤẋ̾ͯ͏͠҉̟̬̞̖͚̝̹̝p̴̻͊̔̍̉̓͢e̮͎̿ͬ̋̍̐̃̚͡͞c̡͈͙̯̣͔͂ͬ̏͆̅͞t̍͛ͬͫ̓͏͈̼̟̙̼̞̼͍̪̕ė̛̼̜̤̫̦͔̯̟͑̅ͨ̔ͦ̓͗d̷̻̯̖̱̮̗͕̐͢ ̪͍͎͓͌̃̈͋ͮ͠#̷̷̦̟̠̺̟̺̝̟̮̈ͨ́̌̆̿(̣̲͓͕͉̣̼̅ͨ̓͋͘͠͞-͉̃ͥ̑̄ͮ͜͢%̶̝̗̺̆ͤ́͋ͥ̽̐£-!£͉ͩ͂ͅ¥͛ͨ͋͂ͩ͏͏͔͖̮¥̶̝͍ͨ̌͝°̇͊͒́̓̄ͯ͏̛̳̦͟π͉͇̫̲̱̑̔ͤ̌͛ͧ̊̎ͨ̕=̜̮̱̆̆̍̓͒ͥ̒͋̉℅̩̩̠ͮͫ̈̇͗͒̒͟¢̵̨͓̬̹̩̩̭͛͆̍=̛ͥͪͨͪ̀̀҉҉͕͕̼͙%©̴̶̦̻͈̟͈̟͎͍̬̓̓̓̓ͬ̍ͧ͠¥̸̨̙̦̬̱͕͍͉̖̈͑̔͢°̷̸͓͑ͥͤ̚̚͟÷̡̧͎̩̞̮̻̹͈̅̿ͦͯ̃ͮ̚•̨̖͙̬̣͚̀̔͛͌̚=̢̛̠̯͔̲͖̤͚͚̽ͩͦ̈́͆͂͠{̂℅̴̫͍̞̯̣̱͖̉ͧ©̭̰͙̲̬̤̈́͊ͣ̒́ͮ̍́͗̕͟;̨̛͖͇̝̿͐ͨ̈̆-̵͉̻̙̜̭ͪ̇̄̊ͣ͠͞£̱̻̠̞̹̮̰̽̓͛ͧ͗̂͊͛͘@-̲̻͖̟̬̜͂ͫ̓ͣ̚͠-̧̘̲̱͋ͨ4̷̮̠͕͕͈̻͙ͧ͐͊̓͑͘&̶ͦ̿̈͏̪̬ͅ:͚͚̼̠̉͑̓̀͆͒ͫ͘͝-̗̮̗ͬͫ+̴̡͍̰̫̯͇̄̌:̢̰͗̓ͪ͗*̷̳͕͑́͊̕%̼͇̤̜̻̠̭ͮͭͧ̈́͌̉]͙̣̟̟̪̙̣̏̔͛ͪ̔͛͐̅[̷̵̯̮͙͍̍ͮ̎̋≯̲̻͚͖̱̂ͦ͑̔̀ͪ͒̆ͅ.̖͕̔̿̌͠.̶̢̹̦͓̻̩̃ͧͧ́́̆̑-®͋$̹̳͍͕̞̺̗͊̆̾͆͠°̏ͩ͒͜҉͍̭̞̙͎͇=͉̤̼̓̍ͩ̔̈́͘{̨̬̪͕͉̬͗ͅ∆̲͂͟͡͞¶̧͔̭̣͙͇̹̹̽̄̋ͫ͂͆¶̱̹͚̺̜͋͑ͦͣ̀̀̑̋ͦ¶̶̏̔͏°̴̨̛̱̲̣͈͉̫̭̻̂ͭͬ͑́$̵̘̗̩̋̍͐ͯͩ̀̍͒͋͞͝¥̴̨̝̠̮͇͔̈͝£=̶̷̄̾̈҉͔̥̹̖̳̘̘ͅ{̹͕̯ͫͤ^̥̻̞͎̼̻͚̖̩̎ͤ́͋͝[̏͒ͩ̈͛̔҉͇̤]͌̓҉͕̟̟̞͎̝̮̤}̵̎ͫ̾̅ͫͬ҉̺̟̘̟̲̩͖̹͈}[̩̗̫̞̝͍̖̭̳̓̓̊ͫ℅̬̲͉͉͓͇̹̬̯̃͛̄̃ͦ̚•̴̫ͭͯ̊ͨ̚̚•̶̄͋͆ͯ͟•̃҉̮•̬̮ͯ̂̀͟•̘̭͓̥̯̟͊̎̌ͩ̈́•̗̼̘͔̊ͬͭ̈́̃̓ͫ͂}̯̪̤͍͔̩̦͉ͭͬͪͧͯ̀ͪ}̡̻̹̳͚̝͙̦̈̊̚͟}ͤͤ̈̆ͫ̊̃͛͏̩̞͚̗̤͝}̺̳ͬͭ̋ͭ͂̈̋̾͢͞)̨ͯͬͩͤͭ̌̌_ **

"Oh dear god." Was the frankly quite fitting answer to the mess that appeared. Xisuma shut off the admin panel and changed the device back to normal mode. He rubbed the respirator on his helmet in a fashion similar to a person stroking their chin while deep in thought, then had an idea and opened a private message to Cub.

**<Xisuma> Hey Cub, what would it take to hire you for some scientific stuff?**

**<cubfan135> Depends on what it is. What do you need?**

**<Xisuma> I think it would be better to explain in person. Where can we meet?**

**<cubfan135> At the gates to ConCorp should be good. Should I wait for you there?**

**<Xisuma> Yep, I'll be there ASAP.**

"Okay, I guess I'll be off to ConCorp. You want to come?" X offered to Bdubs. He shook his head.

"I'd rather stuck around to clear the mess. Can't have it dirtying my village!"

"Okay. I'll see you around then!" X said, shooting into the air. He quickly zoomed into the closest nether portal and through the tunnels of the nether, only stopping once when he crashed into a cactus. Soon, he was landing outside the gates leading to the ConCorp compound, out of breath and a bit more prickly than before. Sure enough, Cub was waiting for him, having a chat with the Evoker he had hired as a gatekeeper. Several Vex floated around the area, one of which was sat on Cub's shoulder. It spotted Xisuma and prodded Cub on the cheek to get his attention. There was some high pitched laughter as two of the apparitions charged at him.

"Alright, settle down guys, X is here on business." Cub welcomed the admin inside with a warm smile. "And that business is?"

"Evidence collection. Doc's gone missing, and we need to figure out what happened to him." Cub's smile faltered.

"Right this way sir." He said, leading X through the town that was built within the compound. Their path took them around until they were in a small room with two chairs at a table. Cub motioned X to sit down in one of them, and took a seat in the other. 

"So what have we got to do?" He asked, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. Xisuma took out the three items: the labcoat scrap, the arrow, and Doc's communicator, and laid them out in a line.

"At his last known location, we found a large crater, and these items." He said, indicating the arrow and scrap. "Then when I tracked Doc's coordinates down, he was nowhere to be seen. Even more worryingly, the final messages sent from this device were evidently not typed by him. I think he's been kidnapped." Cub took in this information.

"What was he doing at the time of the kidnapping?" He asked.

"According to Grian, fighting those people that attacked the minigame district. It's safe to assume they are the perpetrators." X leaned forward. "That's where you come in. I need to know where he is, and how they took him. And I believe this arrow would help." He lifted the projectile and showed off the stained tip.

"I don't recognise what potion this arrow was tipped in. Could it be possible for you to extract it and figure it out?"

Cub nodded.

"I'll give it my best shot. In the meantime, I should get the ConCorp drones out to search right?"

"Right. That was the second thing I was going to ask of you. I recommend starting around New Hermitville, and spreading out from there. Also…" he took out his communicator and typed in a set of coordinates and sent it to Cub. "This is where Doc's communicator was found. This should be helpful?"

"I'll get right on it." Cub assured him. "As for rates, it is 5 diamonds an hour for my time working on this. Does that sound good?"

"Hold on-"

Cub's face cracked into a grin at X's bewilderment.

"Just kidding. I'll get Doc to pay when we find him." He grabbed the arrow and scrap, and his hand hovered over the communicator.

"Should I also take this? Or will you need it?" X grabbed the device.

"I'll take care of this. Thank you for your help, Cub." Cub gave a thumbs up, a motion mimicked by the Vex that had taken its place on his shoulder.

"Alright, good luck, I'll contact you if I find anything."

\--

Grian was leading Herobrine into the huge building that towered over almost everything else in the shopping district. behind them, Mumbo was following along at a snail's pace, looking around and fiddling with whatever he could get his hands on, as he always did. The constant fidgeting gave him a nervous demeanor, of which Herobrine couldn't help but relate to greatly. 

"So this!" Grian announced, spinning around with his arms outstretched to gesture to the huge building around them. "Is Sahara!" He jumped and flew into the air, landing on a balcony above them.

"This is the greatest project ever undertaken by the Architechs. Our aim is to stock and sell everything that a man can ever need and want!"

"Actually, it's more to just break even with the amount of diamonds we poured into this thing…" Mumbo leaned over and whispered into Herobrine's ear.

"Including sand! An awful lot of sand." Grian finished, seemingly not noticing Mumbo's interruption. He jumped and glided back down to the floor, landing gracefully in front of the two painfully awkward looking men. 

"Now, if you follow me, I will show you how this works." Grian took Herobrine's hand and pulled him forward, making him stumble with a yelp. They stood in front of a large chest that was set into a nook in the wall and covered in various signs that spelled out instructions. Grian opened the chest to reveal a multitude of items inside. 

"To buy a product from our wonderful shop, all you need to do is take one of these items out of here, and drop it in the hopper down here. Do that, please!" Herobrine gulped, eyeing the neatly stored contents of the container. He stepped a little closer, his hand half extended, and paused in indecision. Grian raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to make a purchase.

"It, uh, doesn't actually matter what you choose, Hero…" he encouraged. Slowly, Herobrine picked out a comparator, and examined it in his hands. There was a label attached to it with _ comparator | 32 p diamond _written on it.

"Gee, no wonder people think Sahara is slow…" Mumbo commented, watching Herobrine intently. The feeling of his eyes digging into the back of Herobrine's neck was making him incredibly nervous, resulting in a small puff of flame igniting itself around the comparator, singeing the label a bit.

"Okay, now, place it in the hopper." Grian directed him gently, slowly guiding his hand downwards. He let go of the comparator and it fell into the metal bowl with a clunk. Above their heads, a Redstone lamp turned on.

"Okay, order has been received!" Mumbo exclaimed. "Now we wait." Herobrine closed his eyes, and he could feel the huge amount of redstone Signal emanating from behind the wall. There came several clicks.

"Ah! It's arrived at the warehouse!" Mumbo looked like he was sweating slightly, and kept shooting worried glances around. A few more clicks. A new line of redstone burst into life. Another illuminated lamp. More nervous twitching. Seconds stretched out into minutes. More redstone firing…

A little tune of notes broke the eerie silence, making Herobrine jump. There was another click and the clunk of a shulker box landing on a surface. Herobrine did not miss Mumbo's released sigh of relief and the whisper of "it worked, thank goodness!" But opted to ignore it.

"Now, if you come over here, Hero? Hey, if you come over here, the shulker here will contain what you ordered!" Grian called to him. Herobrine went over and peered into the box. Sure enough, a neat packet of comparators were stored inside, which he pulled out of the box. A moment later, a piston knocked the box away and into a waiting hopper.

"And now, you simply pay with one diamond, in this chest here!" Grian said, slapping his hand onto a chest located between the order and collection points. Herobrine froze, and searched around in his pockets. The one diamond that he'd had he'd already given to one Sahara shop, he didn't have any more to give to another. He looked around, feeling a small bubble of panic rising inside him.

"Uh… You okay Hero?"

"What happened to the diamond I gave you?" Mumbo asked. 

_ Use the book, don't panic, use the book. Don't panic, use the book. Don't panic. _

After grounding himself, Herobrine took his book out and scribbled in it:

_ 'Carrot shop' _

"Carrot shop… oh Sahara eats? You paid for the carrots you stole? Awh, I'd totally forgotten about that." Herobrine cringed at the accusations.

_ 'I was starving at the time! I'm sorry…' _he wrote out in an attempt to defend himself.

"Hey! No harm done, it's okay. Plus, you paid, so it's not a problem!" Grian smiled at him. "And we can't really get angry at someone for just trying to eat…" he added with a shrug. "We all gotta do it." Herobrine looked down, opting to play with a comparator from the shulker instead of answering any more.

"He stole from one of our shops?" Mumbo asked in the background. Grian rolled his eyes and turned away, heading towards some glass tubes with yellow arrows stained into them. Ignoring the tubes, he jumped and flew to the top landing, turning around to look back down at the two he'd left behind. Mumbo looked over to Herobrine, who was still in the midst of fiddling. 

"You like those things don't you?" He noted with a chuckle before following after Grian, clumsily plopping down in a pile of limbs next to him. Herobrine went over and stood at the base of the pipes, looking into the bubbling water contained within them. 

"You gotta have a Sahara now membership to come here. Would you like to buy one? It's only 100 diamonds" Grian grinned down at him. With a burst of purple particles, Herobrine was suddenly standing beside them both, startling Mumbo enough to fall back into the tangle he'd just freed himself from. Grian crossed his arms and made a pouty face.

"Unfair my dude! Unfair!" Herobrine just grinned. He had these powers, there was no one to stop him from using them. A shadow flitted in through the nearby doorway with a rush of wings.

"Hey guy- oh LOOK OUT-"


	17. Smashing your way out of here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which introductions are made.

A loud bang startled Diana straight out of her sleep. She shot upright, heart beating hard, and her eye darting around the small room to see where the noise had come from. From the other side of the thin wall, a low growl was heard, which built into an aggressive shout of

"Let ME **OUT!**"

Another bang rocked the carriage. It seemed her cellmate was awake, and evidently furious at the situation they had found themselves in. She peered through the bars of the wall to see the back of the creature's head. They were hunched over in the cramped space, fixated on the door. Sure enough, they barged their metal shoulder into it with enough force to make the entire structure shake. Several bottles fell off of Diana's shelf.

"That door is reinforced, you know. You're not going to be able to break it." She said, hoping to save them the pain of a broken shoulder. 

"Watch me." Came the determined reply, and at that, the creature let themself loose on the door, striking and grabbing at the bars and pulling back in an effort to damage it. Diana sighed, watching the fruitless attempt and waiting for them to-

Oh my goodness they actually managed to break down the door.

The shattered halves thumped onto the grass outside.

"Okay, point taken. Little help here?" She said, but was ignored. She swapped from the bars of the dividing wall to the bars of her own door to watch the carnage go down outside. The creature practically launched themselves at the nearest hunter, and quickly knocked her out before turning on the next. All too quickly though, the rest of them grouped into the overwhelm formation, and Diana sighed as the creature got pushed down and pinned by seven people. One of the hunters smashed a bottle over their head, and from the colour of the liquid inside it could be determined to be a weakness potion. The struggles soon ceased as the potion took hold, and the creature was dragged away out of sight. The hunters quickly got to work repairing the broken door.

"Hey, potion bitch, get us a ton of weakness potions." One of them called out, banging on her door as he did so. With another sigh, she pulled the brewing stand off of the storage shelf and started mixing together the ingredients. She really didn't want to be helping these guys keep another prisoner here, but with what they would do to her… she didn't really have a choice. The liquid in the bottles bubbled from the warmth of the blaze rod and she watched the mixture concoct while blinking a few tears away in her eye. How did she let herself get into this situation?

Soon after the potions were delivered, the creature was stuffed back into the compartment.

"Good try." Diana said.

"Thanks." Came the curt reply. "I hate those guys."

"Me too." She agreed. "Now you're not trying to break your shoulder, hi! Who are you?" There was silence from the other side of the wall.

"And I should trust you why?"

"Well, we're in the same situation for one thing. And it's getting awkward for me to keep just mentally referring to you as "subject" or "creature" when you're definitely much more than that." There was a snort from the other compartment.

"Wow, rude."

"I know right? I think these assholes are rubbing off on me in attitude…" she sighed.

"Fine. It's Doc. Who are you?" Diana smiled.

"Diana. Nice to meet you Doc, even if the circumstances aren't quite as pleasant as they could be." There was a period of silence before Doc broke it.

"How long is this weakness potion going to last? It's already well over any time I've seen a potion take effect before…" Diana cringed.

"I… they found a way to supercondense potions, so it'll last hours at the very least…" her little slip was not missed.

"You… found a way…? So you are working with them?" Doc's voice had gone cold. Oooh boy…

"Look, I don't want to, but I don't really have a choice in the matter."

"Can't you just disobey them like I did?" A wave of anger washed through Diana. She jumped to her feet, grabbed her lantern and held it close to her face while glaring at Doc through the bars.

"I did. Once. Look what that got me." The lantern clearly illuminated the ugly scarred hole that had once held her right eye. Doc visibly recoiled from the sight, looking horrified.

"You see? I don't have a choice… I'm sorry." The lantern dropped to the floor with a clatter as Diana sat back down, burying her face in her hands. The day dragged on without another word. Eventually, a soft thump was heard and an impact in the wall behind her was felt.

"So… how did you get yourself in this dilemma?" The German accented voice softly floated through the walls. Diana let out a breath.

"You're not going to believe a word I say… but here goes… This group of people here, they call themselves the "Herobrine Hunters". Have you heard of Herobrine?" 

"More than heard of. I never believed the stories until I saw him with my own eyes."

"You've… seen him? You know he's real?" Diana asked, feeling somewhat hopeful.

"Yes. These criminals are after him. Want to kill him." Doc confirmed.

"That makes this so much easier…" Diana said in relief. "I myself have dedicated my life to studying the myths and legends, and piecing together what is real and what isn't."

"So you study a cryptid that nobody believes is real?" Doc asked.

"Among other things." It seemed to be a pretty apt description of what she did. "But, I know that he is real. I know it for sure because… oh boy…" she took a deep breath.

"This may sound completely crazy, but… when I was little, a huge fire broke out in my home village. I… I got trapped inside one of the buildings, and for sure was going to die… but he - Herobrine - suddenly appeared and actually pulled me out of there… I still have the burn scars on my back." She rubbed her lower back, feeling the rough scar tissue that lined her spine.

"Afterwards he took me to somewhere safe, I think that there were bandits looting my home, and… I remember it all so vividly. When he finally found my parents, they told me that none of it was real, it was just a dream. But it just… all felt so _ real _. I'm sure it was real! Since then… I've wanted nothing more than to finally track him down, if only to find out if it was just all a dream. Or maybe to just… thank him." She sighed sadly.

"But, you know, trying to study something that no one else believes in, it's a lonely process. So when a group of people show up one day saying "Hey we know you're trying to find Herobrine, we have seen him, we're after him too! Come join us!" How can I not jump at the chance? I didn't realise until too late that the whole 'after him' thing wasn't meant in a nice way. And before I knew it." She slammed her fist down on the wooden floor of the carriage. "Bam, prisoner. Just used for information on stuff really."

"That's… real rough." Doc sympathised.

"And now you got caught in the mess… uh… don't mean to sound rude but… what even are you?" Diana asked, opening her journal and preparing to record the answer.

"A Hermit." That… wasn't what she was expecting.

"A… hermit? Is that what your… kind… is called?" A low chuckle came from the other side.

"Noo! We Hermits, we're all like one huge family. It's just a name for our home, Hermitcraft, Hermitville, Hermitland, Hermits. You know, like how these people, they call themselves "Herobrine hunters", we call ourselves "Hermits"." Diana closed her book.

"I think you guys may be misunderstanding what the term "hermit" means."

"Hah. Tell that to TFC. I think the name came from a former member though. Called himself the gaming hermit. Sizuma should know more about that though." There was the ruffle of fabric. 

"Speaking of, why haven't I jus- oh no."

"What's wrong?" Diana asked.

"They took my communicator. I can't contact the others to get us out!" There was the thumping of limbs on wood as Doc struggled to his feet. A particularly loud bang came from above, punctuated by the sharp "owch!" of Doc. Diana looked through the window to see him rubbing the top of his head.

"This space is smaller than a broom closet…" he complained. "Whatever… time to get out of here."

"But the weakness effect?" Diana reminded him. He grinned and flexed his metal arm.

"I don't think potions effect metal, man!" And with that, he punched his arm through the door, specifically targeting a weak point. Diana sighed and sat down, not wanting to see what the hunters would do to him this time. Sure enough, there was already shouting and feet thudding towards them. Several whacks and cries were heard as Doc lashed out through the door. A thump was heard and Doc gasped. Diana peered through to see he was flattened against the door. Then, a loud metallic crunch rang out, and he stumbled backwards, falling and landing awkwardly.

"No! My arm! Not again!"

She _ totally _ did not see that coming… 

Several red sparks flew out of the torn metallic stump that was all that remained of Doc's arm. Several leery taunts were thrown in at Doc, who scowled at all of them.

"Please tell me you knew that would happen." Diana said.

"I didn't think they would resort to dismemberment!" 

"Dude. They ripped out my eye." The comment was met with an awkward silence.

"You just made your situation worse… Congratulations." 

\--

_ He was sitting in the landscape, watching the sun sink behind the horizon. Normally the encroaching darkness would bring with it the fear of the monsters in the night, but he'd protected himself from the outside world with a wall, and flaming sticks were stuck in the earth on the inside of the perimeter, fending off the dark. He was safe. _

_ Hello? He asked out into the void above him. _

** _Yes?_ **

_ The voice was back. _

_ Who are you? He asked to it. _

_ The answer was deafening silence, and the scratching of a zombie on his wall. _

_ Who are you? Who am I? What is this place? Why am I here? _

_ The questions overflowed out of him endlessly, finally bursting from the dam that had been holding since the time he was first falling. _

** _How are you doing that?_ **

_ The voice answered with a question itself. It left him confused. _

_ I don't know. Doing what? _

** _Asking those questions._ **

_ I've always been asking these questions! This is the first time I've asked them to you. _

_ The silence pressed down on him. Had he done something wrong? _

** _What have I created?_ **

_ The voice seemed regretful. He felt… Bad. _

_ Something beautiful! He answered back. _

_ Something to be loved. Something to express yourself in. Are you not proud of that? _

** _Yes._ **

_ So what is there to regret? _

** _You._ **

_ The word hit him like a stack of brick blocks. He had done something wrong. The voice was angry with him. _

_ I'm sorry. _

** _I can handle it._ **

_ The feeling of fear spread through him. He curled himself into a tight ball. _

** _Okay, this is weird… let's say… you are my brother. My brother in Minecraft._ **

_ A brother? He didn't know what a brother was, but it sounded… close. Familiar. _

_ I am your brother. I like it. _

_ He smiled. _

** _Uh, sure._ **

_ Do I have a name? _

** _Well, I guess you are the hero of the game. And your name is…_ **

_ He waited expectantly. _

** _Brine._ **

_ The Hero by the name of Brine. _

_ I like it. Thank you! _

** _You're, uh, you're welcome._ **

_ What is your name? _

** _Notch._ **

_ Thank you Notch! For all of this. I'm happy. _

** _Okay. Now-_ **

"Wakey wakey!" Herobrine winced at the finger that was prodded into his shoulder. His head was killing him.

"Ugh… what… happened…?" He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head.

"Iskall didn't get the memo that you were friendly." Grian said from beside him.

"Ice...cold…?" He blinked around, and his eyes fell on a man in a light green suit with a beard and some sort of diamond device over his left eye. He was staring at him with a guilty look on his face, and when their eyes met, he looked away. Herobrine got to his feet, swaying a bit at the dizziness that rushed over him, and Grian quickly hooked his arm around him to support him. 

"Iskall, apologize to him!" He ordered. The green suited man shifted a bit on his feet.

"I, uh, I'm sorry dude… didn't realise you were here on a tour…" Herobrine narrowed his eyes at him, making him gulp nervously.

"Kicking potential customers in the head isn't a good way to get sales. It's also not nice to just kick people in the head for no reason." Grian's scolding continued. Herobrine shook off the last of the stupor and stood his weight back on his own two feet, freeing Grian from the burden of holding him.

"Okay, okay, I get it! I'm sorry!" The man protested while Mumbo's laughter could be heard in the background. "I genuinely didn't know!"

It seemed to be the truth. Since the incident with False, which had left him in a much worse off state, had gone over smoothly, Herobrine was willing to forgive this person for the attack. Although It made him wonder just how many more people had a personal vendetta against him. So far False and Doc were out for his blood at first, with the latter's opinion of him currently unknown, then this man… speaking of Doc, he hadn't heard about him since he'd give to fight the hunters. Was he okay? A hand being waved in front of his eyes snapped him back to reality.

"You with us?" Grian asked. He nodded. "Okay, Hero, this is Iskall. Iskall, this is Herobrine." He guestured between the two during the introductions. "You might have heard a few scary things about him, but I promise you this guy is softer than a pair of bunny slippers." Herobrine shot a confused look at him. Softer than a whatnow? Him? Soft?

"You know it's true." Grian answered to his expression with a grin. "But anyway, now that we are here, should we check out what I did with the concrete maker?"

"Oh no." Came the answer from Mumbo as Grian took off. He and Iskall followed after him, leaving Herobrine alone in the corridor. He blinked, then cast his eyes around the vast room, feeling rather small in comparison, and found himself taking one of the comparators he'd 'brought' out and fiddling with it to occupy his hands. Then Grian suddenly reappeared, zooming back in through the doorway.

"Oh! I'm sorry Hero, forgot you couldn't follow us. We need to get you an elytra at some point and teach you how to fly." He landed beside Herobrine and beckoned to him. 

"Come on!" 

The area behind the front of Sahara was even more impressive, especially with the racks of redstone machinery that filled one of the warehouses. No wonder the entire place was alive with Signal. Herobrine opted to go explore a bit by himself, first picking his way through the modules, trying in vain to understand what they did, then looking around the giant garden area Grian had taken him through. He looked into the water of the fountain and met the eyes of his reflection staring back at him. Blank, like always. But with the large variety he'd seen around, they were not as out of place as they would usually be. Was a glowing white set of pupils more weird than the impossibly huge eyeballs of Keralis? He poked a finger into the water, disturbing the reflection with the ripples, before turning away and heading back into the building.

His final destination was a room containing a large table with three chairs around it. The largest chair had a piston with a redstone block on the face stuck on the back of it. Herobrine climbed onto the chair and noticed a button on top. His hand went over to press it, but he managed to stop himself in time. He could feel the redstone under the floor, and the line led into the ceiling, and straight to some - thank Notch he hadn't pressed it.

Grian flew in through the window and landed straight in the chair, and the other two followed behind, with only Iskall noticing that Herobrine was present. They were chatting to one another, and laughing whenever a joke was cracked. For a moment, their attention was on a glass box that contained an armour stand, then they went to take their place around the table.

"Okay, now back to the meeting…" Grian said, sitting back in his chair. Iskall cast his eyes around, then cleared his throat.

"I like how neither of you have noticed that Herobrine is sitting up there just… watching us." He pointed out. Grian and Mumbo turned to look at Herobrine.

"Oh hi!" Grian exclaimed with a small wave. Herobrine noticed a brief look of fear flash across Mumbo's face, and saw how he glanced at the ceiling above him to where the TNT was placed. In response, he shuffled away from the button, and gave Mumbo a slight nod. The Redstoner relaxed a bit and sat down, announcing "Hey, have you noticed I got a nice new chair too?"

"I was gonna say, where's your button? Get back on your button! You're still relegated!" Grian's tone was mockingly annoyed. Mumbo pointed to Herobrine.

"The button, I put it back on top of your chair… I mean, Herobrine's sitting on it, we can't fit two people on a button!" Herobrine looked down at the button. A chair? What on earth were they talking about? The mental image of the extremely tall Mumbo trying to balance himself on the tiny wooden object was super amusing, and made a smile curve across his face.

"Alright, you can sit there. Have you guys had a little look at the Sa-"

"Uh Grian. Before we get onto that, back onto my chair, can you make sure it's decommissioned? I can't remember if I decommissioned it, it just takes a… hey, Herobrine, can you decommission my chair? Just press down on it." Herobrine looked between Mumbo and the ceiling containing the TNT. He wanted _ him _ to blow a huge hole in the ceiling? Mumbo noticed the panic and said "It's okay, just press the button to deactivate it. Thanks!"

Without giving himself any more time to think, Herobrine slammed his hand down on the button, cringing as the redstone signal shot into the hidden explosives. There was a moment of confused silence, then the explosion shook the room.

"Woah, what? Oh, oh!" The debris rained down around Mumbo, kicking dust into the air around him.

"Oh for goodness-" Iskall's sentence was cut short as he burst into a fit of laughter at the sight of Mumbo's chair launching into the air. As the contraption rose through the hole in the ceiling, his voice floated down.

"I'll see you later boys! I don't really fancy talking about the Sahara NOW memberships. Catch you at the next meeting!" If he'd said anything else, it was drowned out by the howling laughter of Iskall, who was sprawled across the table, beating his fists against it slightly. Slightly quieter was Grian's laughter, who was doubled over from the effort. And finally, Herobrine was laying on the floor, clutching at his head and stomach, which both hurt from laughing too hard and falling off of Grian's chair.

"I can't believe he did that!" Grian exclaimed, getting up to offer a hand to Herobrine. 

"You okay buddy?" Herobrine nodded, taking the hand and letting himself get pulled to his feet. Grian stumbled back a bit.

"Man, we gotta feed you more. Hey Iskall, after the meeting, you want to go get something to eat?"

Iskall had recovered enough from his fits to answer "Yeap, sounds good!" He sat back into his chair. "Now, about the Sahara NOW memberships?"

"Ah yes. Since Mumbo appears to have taken his chair and left… here you go Hero. You can have his old chair." Grian took the button off the top of the huge chair he was sitting on and placed it on the floor. Herobrine poked at it with his foot, then decided to humour Grian and sat down on it, blinking as it pressed down under his weight. He couldn't stop himself from exploding into a fit of giggles at how ridiculous the entire situation was. And it seems Grian and Iskall were in the same situation, as they burst out laughing too. 

It was nice to be fitting in and accepted somewhere.

It felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grian: I've only known Herobrine for a day and a half, but if anything happens to him, I'll kill everyone in this room and then myself.


	18. Information gathering, variable success.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they try to break a creeper.

Xisuma was about 16 layers deep into admin commands when a message from Cub pinged on his communicator. Welcoming a distraction from all of the crunching of muddled data that was making his head spin, he opened the chat.

**<cubfan135> I’ve got the data you need. When are you free to come over?**

**<xisumavoid> I’m a little busy at the moment, but I’ll finish what I’m doing as quickly as I can.**

He turned the screen off and dived back into the hidden logs of Doc’s communicator. Extracting a list of most recent coordinates should have been easy, but something was corrupting the data. He’d tried almost every possible trick he knew to attempt to restore it, but had only managed to recover the Y coordinate, which was possibly the least helpful of all of the numbers he could have gotten. With a sigh, Xisuma pushed himself away from the desk and stretched his arms over his head. A break from all the work would be good for him, he decided as he swiped away the admin panels.

**<Xisuma> Okay, I’m on my way over.**

  
  
As expected, Cub was waiting for him at the gate like before. X landed in front of him and waved.

“So, what have you got for me?” Cub wasted no time in beckoning X to follow him.

“What we managed to find out may give us a clue about what happened to Doc, as well as what we will have to deal with. So far the drones have not seen anything, so I’m widening the search area, and I’m hoping to get something back from them shortly.” X looked around and noticed that Cub was leading him into a place he had not been to before. A door in front of them opened, and Cub stepped aside to let the admin through first. On the other side, several villagers were stationed at some high tech looking workbenches. A few of them shot a sideways glance at Xisuma as he walked in.

“We’ve run DNA tests on the biological matter that has been extracted from the arrow and the fabric you provided. Both of them matched Doc’s genome, so it is without a doubt that the scrap is from his clothing, and the arrow was used as a weapon against him.” 

X really wanted to ask why on earth ConCorp even had access to the Hermit’s genomes, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

“We also found residue of gunpowder on the fabric, as well as identifying damage that indicates burning. Someone used TNT on him at almost point blank range.” Cub continued. As he was talking, he was pointing to a large screen on the wall that displayed the results of their experiments. 

“That would explain the crater.” Xisuma mused, resting his chin in the gap between his thumb and index finger while examining the screen. “And what of the arrow?”

“Well, we managed to successfully extract the substance that was soaked into the wood, and even replicated it.” Cub wandered over to a villager that was working on a brewing stand. It turned to him with an expectant _ hrrm? _

“As for what this potion does, for some reason Scar volunteered to test it out. A rather reckless move on his part...” X gulped. 

“And the results?”

“He’s been asleep for 4 hours now, and shows no sign of waking.”

“Oh.” That was certainly not the answer he was expecting. “So it’s a sleeping drug?”

“Yes.” Cub went back to the results screen. "If we want to fight these people off, we now have a better idea of what preparations we will need, and what tactics will be used against us." The expression on his face darkened.

"But… since these people have both Wither enchantments, and have found a way to make a sleeping potion… I fear what else they could have in their arsenal. I think it would be best for any hermit that comes across them to leave as soon as possible. Doc is one of our best fighters, and it seems he got captured with relative ease." He looked to Xisuma, who was frowning under his helmet.

"Also, we cannot ignore the fact that these people are after Herobrine of all things. That means there's no saying in what they could have in order to deal with him, and even less on what that would do to us." 

"Point taken." X said, feeling ten times more worried than before. "I'll send a PSA out shortly. Thank you for your help with all this, Cub"

"No worries!" Cub replied with a smile. He led the way out of the room, and was soon waving Xisuma away at the gate. As he left, the admin opened his communicator.

**<xisumavoid> /ban Flynn_Rightwood**

** _Exception at /ba̲̯̹̫̫n̴̟̦͚ a̾ͬ̍͊̿̏͊͟t͔̤͚̹ͬͥ͗̾ͨͬ ̸͓̘̍͑̒ͯͦͨ̅l̩̪͒ͧi̟̎̅̋n͓͕̝̖̼͖ͣ̏ȅ̢̪̘ ͩ͆͆-̪̯̩̏̎͊͋̉̇̍1̢ͫ̈́̀̔́̈ͯ ̳͖̻̩̯͓̫̋̈̾̈̋̑͗(̵̟͎͖͉̼̈́ͯ̀̄͡E̠̬̟̳̗ͯ̌̈́ͦͩ̑ͤẋ̾ͯ͏͠҉̟̬̞̖͚̝̹̝p̴̻͊̔̍̉̓͢e̮͎̿ͬ̋̍̐̃̚͡͞c̡͈͙̯̣͔͂ͬ̏͆̅͞t̍͛ͬͫ̓͏͈̼̟̙̼̞̼͍̪̕ė̛̼̜̤̫̦͔̯̟͑̅ͨ̔ͦ̓͗d̷̻̯̖̱̮̗͕̐͢ ̪͍͎͓͌̃̈͋ͮ͠#̷̷̦̟̠̺̟̺̝̟̮̈ͨ́̌̆̿(̣̲͓͕͉̣̼̅ͨ̓͋͘͠͞-͉̃ͥ̑̄ͮ͜͢%̶̝̗̺̆ͤ́͋ͥ̽̐£-!£͉ͩ͂ͅ¥͛ͨ͋͂ͩ͏͏͔͖̮¥̶̝͍ͨ̌͝°̇͊͒́̓̄ͯ͏̛̳̦͟π͉͇̫̲̱̑̔ͤ̌͛ͧ̊̎ͨ̕=̜̮̱̆̆̍̓͒ͥ̒͋̉℅̩̩̠ͮͫ̈̇͗͒̒͟¢̵̨͓̬̹̩̩̭͛͆̍=̛ͥͪͨͪ̀̀҉҉͕͕̼͙%©̴̶̦̻͈̟͈̟͎͍̬̓̓̓̓ͬ̍ͧ͠¥̸̨̙̦̬̱͕͍͉̖̈͑̔͢°̷̸͓͑ͥͤ̚̚͟÷̡̧͎̩̞̮̻̹͈̅̿ͦͯ̃ͮ̚•̨̖͙̬̣͚̀̔͛͌̚=̢̛̠̯͔̲͖̤͚͚̽ͩͦ̈́͆͂͠{̂℅̴̫͍̞̯̣̱͖̉ͧ©̭̰͙̲̬̤̈́͊ͣ̒́ͮ̍́͗̕͟;̨̛͖͇̝̿͐ͨ̈̆-̵͉̻̙̜̭ͪ̇̄̊ͣ͠͞£̱̻̠̞̹̮̰̽̓͛ͧ͗̂͊͛͘@-̲̻͖̟̬̜͂ͫ̓ͣ̚͠-̧̘̲̱͋ͨ4̷̮̠͕͕͈̻͙ͧ͐͊̓͑͘&̶ͦ̿̈͏̪̬ͅ:͚͚̼̠̉͑̓̀͆͒ͫ͘͝-̗̮̗ͬͫ+̴̡͍̰̫̯͇̄̌:̢̰͗̓ͪ͗*̷̳͕͑́͊̕%̼͇̤̜̻̠̭ͮͭͧ̈́͌̉]͙̣̟̟̪̙̣̏̔͛ͪ̔͛͐̅[̷̵̯̮͙͍̍ͮ̎̋≯̲̻͚͖̱̂ͦ͑̔̀ͪ͒̆ͅ.̖͕̔̿̌͠.̶̢̹̦͓̻̩̃ͧͧ́́̆̑-®͋$̹̳͍͕̞̺̗͊̆̾͆͠°̏ͩ͒͜҉͍̭̞̙͎͇=͉̤̼̓̍ͩ̔̈́͘{̨̬̪͕͉̬͗ͅ∆̲͂͟͡͞¶̧͔̭̣͙͇̹̹̽̄̋ͫ͂͆¶̱̹͚̺̜͋͑ͦͣ̀̀̑̋ͦ¶̶̏̔͏°̴̨̛̱̲̣͈͉̫̭̻̂ͭͬ͑́$̵̘̗̩̋̍͐ͯͩ̀̍͒͋͞͝¥̴̨̝̠̮͇͔̈͝£=̶̷̄̾̈҉͔̥̹̖̳̘̘ͅ{̹͕̯ͫͤ^̥̻̞͎̼̻͚̖̩̎ͤ́͋͝[̏͒ͩ̈͛̔҉͇̤]͌̓҉͕̟̟̞͎̝̮̤}̵̎ͫ̾̅ͫͬ҉̺̟̘̟̲̩͖̹͈}[̩̗̫̞̝͍̖̭̳̓̓̊ͫ℅̬̲͉͉͓͇̹̬̯̃͛̄̃ͦ̚•̴̫ͭͯ̊ͨ̚̚•̶̄͋͆ͯ͟•̃҉̮•̬̮ͯ̂̀͟•̘̭͓̥̯̟͊̎̌ͩ̈́•̗̼̘͔̊ͬͭ̈́̃̓ͫ͂}̯̪̤͍͔̩̦͉ͭͬͪͧͯ̀ͪ}̡̻̹̳͚̝͙̦̈̊̚͟}ͤͤ̈̆ͫ̊̃͛͏̩̞͚̗̤͝}̺̳ͬͭ̋ͭ͂̈̋̾͢͞)̨ͯͬͩͤͭ̌̌_ **

No luck. Instead, he closed the admin panel and opened a message, set to go to all the Hermits. With an ever increasing feeling of dread, he typed out the PSA and sent it, then tucked the device away and simply stared out at the distant stars.

\--

Since the dismemberment situation, Doc had not said a single word, and Diana couldn't help but feel the creeping worry building inside her about him. It was strange to be so concerned about someone that she'd only known for a few hours at most, but this person was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in a long long time, so how could she not be?

Several attempts had been made at conversation, but each one was met with silence. It was hard to tell if the guy was even awake at this point. His one visible eye was shut tight, and he was sitting unnaturally still. Diana turned back to her journal, quickly flicking the pages away from the entry she’d made about Doc back to the pages of sketches she’d drawn of various animals of the world. The markings on her latest parrot were incomplete… no better time to finish it then now. As the ink stained end of the quill drifted over the paper, she heard footsteps approaching the carriage.

"Ugh… what now…" she muttered to herself, placing the book down and preparing for whatever rude remarks that were about to be thrown her way. However, the chains that were unlocked were not on her door. It seemed they were here for Doc instead. As the door opened, there was the smash of a glass bottle along with the shuffling of someone getting to their feet. The sound stopped, then was followed by a thud and what sounded like a whispered curse.

"Think we forgot about you? Freak." Diana closed her eye and covered her ears. She knew what was coming. Even through the cover, she could hear the demands of the hunters.

"Okay you green fuck, we heard what you said to the bitch, so we know that you know many things about those idiots that live in your little "Hermitville". So, Doc, care to let us in on a bit of it?" A rough voice ordered harshly. As expected, there was no reply.

"We know you talk, despite what you look like." A new voice added in. Again, silence.

"Exactly what I was hoping for! Wanna have fun?" The other hunter, which Diana recognized as Forrest, the newest recruit, suggested with a tone of sick excitement.

"I mean, I won't stop you. But I'm not sure it would feel pain. I dunno, hey Diana, you like creepers! Tell me, do they feel pain?"

_ That's just fucked… _ she thought to herself, refusing to answer. Forrest was very much known for his rather sadistic tendencies. It was highly disturbing that he'd sunk to the low of looking forward to inflicting that on another sapient being, and she couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what he'd be happy to do to _ her _ in due time. She clamped down harder on her ears to block out the sound, and stayed huddled there until it finally ceased. 

"Aww, I was hoping for some sort of gunpowder… hey do you think killing this thing's brethren in front if it would work?"

"You're suggesting bringing creepers in? Dude, are you crazy?" There was a whack and a cry of pain from Forrest. 

"You think this thing will care about bunnies instead? You dumbass." He spat at his companion.

"You're the dumbass for thinking it will care about anything. It's a _ creeper _ for goodness sake! I'd be shocked if there was anything going on in there at all!" 

Diana could finally pinpoint the voice of the second hunter on Harpy, one of the few females that made the group. She was one of the highest ranking warriors, and certainly knew how to throw her weight around to keep the others in line. She also had a strangely strong grudge against creepers, it it was unsurprising that her attitude towards Doc was rather cold. However, It seemed she was there mostly to keep an eye on Forrest to make sure he didn't get too carried away with whatever cruel interrogation techniques he was currently into using. Whether by choice or order it was hard to tell.

"I mean, it _ was _ talking earlier… seems it might be difficult to get it to do so now." Forrest said, sounding a bit uncertain. "Guess I gotta increase the pain?" 

"Go for it, just don't kill it. Flynn wants this thing alive for some reason."

The sharp sound of a blade being drawn drifted through the wall, and Diana was just about to cover her ears again when a terrifyingly chilling hissing noise instinctively made every hair on her body stand on end. Her limbs started screaming at her _ GET OUT OF THERE GET OUT OF THERE _, and the hunters evidently had the same response as they scrambled away from the carriage with frightened cries. She had braced herself for the explosion, but noticed that it had never happened. Instead, a deep, quiet laugh had filled the air in its place.

"Oh, you fucking asshole of a weed!" Harpy shouted, storming back and smacking Doc squarely over the head with a metallic clunk. "You think that's funny, huh? Do ya?" Another hit was heard, along with more faint laughter from outside. "Y'ALL SHADDUP AS WELL!"

"Permission to stab?" Forrest asked, still with a slightly scared squeak in his voice.

"Granted." Harpy said coldly. 

Diana couldn't cover her ears fast enough to block out the sound of the first strike. She curled herself into an impossibly small ball, trying to ignore what was going on right behind her. The minutes seemed to drag into hours, and finally, she relaxed her grip on herself when the ache had grown too great.

"Not even a peep…" Harpy muttered to herself. 

Diana had to give it to Doc; the guy was tough. She hadn't heard him make a single noise throughout the entire ordeal, other than the laughter from his little prank. Heck, even responding in the form of a prank against the hunters left her with a newfound feeling of respect for this person.

"Now what?" Forrest asked. "Dunno what more I can do. On this level of fucked anyway."

For the first time, Doc spoke.

"How about… you take that knife… and stab me, one more time."

"What?" Came the incredulous reaction.

"You heard me. Just once more! … what, are you afraid of me? Is that what it is?"

_ Why are you doing this… _ Diana thought, almost as if she was trying to talk to Doc telepathically. _ Are you trying to get yourself killed? _

"No, I'm not scared? Why the hell would you want more? What the fuck are you?" Forrest's voice had risen in pitch a bit, signalling his growing annoyance. 

"Wellll… you sure seemed afraid before. Come on buddy, just one more little stab, and I might even talk. Don't be shyyy…" Doc was definitely goading the hunters on. It wasn't clear what sort of idea he had of what would inevitably happen if Forrest snapped. Maybe he was trying to get the hunters to kill him?

"Aww, lil babby too scared to take a stabby wabby?" 

Yep, definitely trying to get killed.

"YOU LITTLE-"

"FORREST STOP." Harpy shouted. There was a grunt and a clatter as the knife was dropped.

"It's trying to make you kill it. If that happens Flynn will kill you. And probably me too. Lord knows, you've fucked up enough already." There was a disgruntled sigh, and another almost silent curse from Doc. 

"So what? Fucker needs to learn some manners…" Forrest hissed.

"It'll learn the extra hard way. Go get the plant." Diana felt her blood run cold. The plant? Surely they didn't mean… She had her hand clamped over her mouth, and was feeling sick. The door of the carriage slammed shut, and the chains rattled back into place. Harpy leaned against the door, and peered in through the bars of Diana's window.

"How helpful… I knew you would come in handy one day." She whispered in. 

"Please reconsider? We have no idea how that thing will react to his biology!" Diana had gotten to her feet and was clutching at the bars. 

"Nerd." Came the answer. "Always nerdy. Well, uh, hope you got that book of yours ready, because you're about to find out. Think of it as a nice experiment." Forrest appeared from behind Harpy. In his hand, he was holding a black, almost pulsating mass. It consisted of root like structures with thorns poking out of them and some twisted flower buds that were tangled into the mess, one of them drooping a petal from an oxeye daisy. It was a horrible, disgusting thing that Diana forever regretted laying down the framework for creating, and something inside her told her she would soon regret that action even more. The door to Doc's prison was unlocked once again, and both Harpy and Forrest vanished from view. Then came a horrific squelching noise, and a faint grunt of pain; then the door was closed and locked again.

"Useless fuckin thing… try dealing with that for a while..." Harpy could be heard mumbling as she and Forrest walked away. Their footsteps melded into the hustle and bustle of the Herobrine Hunter's camp, and Diana was left shivering slightly with a tear in her eye.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered. "I am so so sorry…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually felt a lil guilty at writing this. Sorry Doc.


	19. The great escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which foxes are good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter today, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway :)  
Also reached 200 kudos and comments, as well as 2000 hits. Thank you all <3

Every single inch of Doc's body was aching, and his chest felt like there was a fire burning inside it. Whatever those hunters had stuck inside him was having a weird effect on his body. If he scratched himself, the wound smoked like it was withering away, but then sealed closed. And he just felt so… _ weak _. He'd attempted to rip out the object, but the gash it was in had quickly healed over, sealing it inside of him.

So now he was just sitting, mulling over his options and tracing the marks the hunter's knives had left all over his chest and stomach with his claw. It was only when Diana stuck her hand in holding a piece of bread when he figured out a possible way out of the prison, although it was certainly going to be a long, boring and downright miserable one.

"You hungry? Here…" she said, offering the bread to him.

"Yes, but no thanks." He replied. The bread pulled back out of sight and was replaced by the confused face of Diana.

"You'll need to eat to heal though." Doc shook his head. Healing was the exact opposite of what he needed to do.

"I know." 

"Are you trying to starve yourself or something?" She asked, looking rather concerned. 

"That's the plan." Her brow furrowed even further.

"Did… they really break you?" Doc let out a laugh.

"No man, I'll just respawn, then come back here and carpet bomb this place to the ground!" 

"Re...spawn?" Came the confused reply.

"Yeah? When you die, you respawn at the last bed you slept in?" How did Diana not know of this?

"Wait, so you… wait… but… you've died before?" She stammered out. Doc sighed.

"Yeah, whatever…" He said in an attempt to drop the conversation. Maybe she was just in hardcore mode or something. He focused his eyes on one of the holes in the door to his prison, and spotted a hunter slumped against a stack of barrels outside. At his waist hung a metal loop with several keys on it, no doubt one of them fitting into the lock on his door. If only he had telekinesis…

A flash of ginger fur crossed in front of the sleeping hunter, and paused with the white tip of a bushy tail just poking into view from the hole. The sight brought back memories of the days he'd spent trying to train his two guard foxes to protect area 77. With nothing else better to do, he let his mind wander into all of the little tricks and details he'd learnt about the shy canids. Trying to get them to drop an item meant bargaining for it with food, mostly the sweet berries.

"Ugh, not sweet berries…" came Diana's disgruntled voice floating through the wall, as if she'd read his mind. He ignored it, instead remembering how he'd figured out foxes loved shiny things, mainly from having to pry them off of his arm several times. He'd managed to use that trait to get them to arm themselves with enchanted swords, and retrieve other shiny objects like dropped tools, gemstones or things like keys-

His eyes flew open at the sudden epiphany. It was a stupid idea, a crazy one, an idea that couldn't possibly work. Yet it was certainly a whole lot more interesting than sitting and waiting around to starve to death. He shifted a bit, and lightly knocked on the wall.

"So, uh, about that food you were offering?" He asked.

"Well, that hunger strike certainly didn't last long!" Diana's teasing comment floated in. "I uh… may have eaten it though…"

Crap.

"Except for these sweet berries, will those do?"

Not crap.

"Perfect!" Doc exclaimed, hardly able to believe the convenience of the situation.

"Got a sweet tooth? Heh, want them now? Or…"

"Yes, thank you!" A wooden bowl was slid in through the bars, and Doc reached to it to grab it. Unfortunately, the effects of whatever weakness inducing thing that was currently inflicting itself upon him soaked into his hand, and the bowl tipped out and landed on the floor, spilling the small red fruits everywhere.

"Dammit… stupid potion effects!" Doc cursed to himself as he collected the dropped berries and stored them back in the bowl, and then set it aside to get onto his hand and knees. The small gap in the bottom corner of his door was only just wide enough to fit an arm through, and with the effects of whatever the hunters had stuck in him and the lack of his dominant hand, he could foresee the following events turning quite awkward. He slowly picked out a berry, and threaded his arm through the hole, and shifted so he could see through the cracks in his door better. The ginger fur of the animal outside flashed across the crack as it trotted around, considering Doc's peace offering.

"Heeere foxy foxy foxy foxy... Here boy!" He whispered, then followed with a few kissy noises.

"You… wanted the berries… to feed a fox." Diana exclaimed, way too loudly. The fox darted away from the sudden noise.

"Shush! You'll scare him off!" Doc hissed back. "I have a plan…" after a short while, he could feel the little puffs of air as the fox sniffed at his fingers. He slowly let go of the berry and pulled his arm back in.

"There we go, good boy…" he encouraged as he offered another berry. It took it with a happy squeak, and Doc found he was able to pet the creature as it ate. 

"Okay… now…" Slowly, Doc got to his feet as quietly as possible, several sweet berries grasped in his hand. He dropped one out through the bars, and the fox wasted no time in chomping on it. The next berry was thrown a few feet away, and the next a little further, until a short trail had been made to lead the animal to the sleeping guard. Sure enough, the fox was soon sniffing at him.

"Come on… Come on… get the shiny thing… no, not that shiny thing!" He whispered in annoyance as it started poking at the hunter's sword. Luckily, it turned away and instead focused on Doc's target: the set of keys hanging at his waist.

"Yess… wait, no! Come back!" A stifled giggle came from the room beside him, and he looked to the right to see Diana was also watching the process. The keys jingled a bit as they bounced in the mouth of the fox as it wandered around the campsite.

"Man, I hope those guys are heavy sleepers… hey, foxy, c'mere!" He whistled and held another berry out, catching it's attention. It tentatively padded over, sniffing at the fruit a bit, then dropped the keys to take the offering. Doc wasted no time in grabbing them, and pulled his arm back inside, keys in hand.

"Heck yeah! Fox training paid off!" He clamped his teeth down on the metal ring to free his hand, and proceeded to pour the rest of the berries out of the gap in the door.

"'Oo defverve fifv, fokfy." 

"Uh, one question." Doc looked up to see Diana staring at him with a wide eye. "How, the fuck, did you pull that off?" He took the keys out of his mouth.

"I trained some foxes as guard dogs, so I got experience with them" the keys rattled gently in his grasp with the shaking of his hand, and his fingers went loose, dropping the keys to the floor with a deafening clatter.

"Scheiße!" 

"You two… keep it down… m'tryna sleep…" outside, the hunter had rolled over. Doc held his breath, willing him to go back to sleep. To his relief, the snoring continued again.

"Diana, can you make a strength potion?" 

"You got the keys, there's no need to bust any doors down." 

"I wasn't planning to! I just need to be able to actually hold something without dropping it and alerting every hunter in this camp!" He snapped at her.

"Woah woah, okay… I'll see what I have, they don't really supply me with much, just magma creams really…" There came some clinks of bottles being placed on a brewing stand.

"I mean, I could just give you the keys and you can let me out…" Doc mused to himself.

"I uh… can't fit my arm through my door though. I haven't broken the bars like you have…" Diana said.

"Oh? Carry on then." He leant his head back against the wooden wall and closed his eyes to stop the world from spinning. The dull ache in his chest had worsened, and it almost seemed to be spreading in tendrils out to the rest of his body.

"I think I can make something by scraping the blaze powder off of this magma cream… let's give it a go!" The sound of bubbling liquid emanated from next door, signalling that the potion was in the stages of brewing. 

"Okay, it's something, but not much of something. This will only last a few minutes at most…" Diana poked her arm in through the bars and dropped the potion into Doc's waiting hand.

"That's good enough." He said, ripping the cork out with his teeth and downing the liquid inside in one gulp. The effects were instant; his hand stopped shaking, and energy flooded back into his limbs. With no telling on how long the potion would last, there was no time to waste. Doc grabbed the key and got to his feet, threading his arm through the door and attempting to fit each key into the lock on the chains. On the fourth try, the key slid into the lock and turned, and the chains loosened. Doc quickly grabbed them to stop them from dropping to the floor, and carefully pushed it open, wincing at every little clink or creak that he made.

The feeling of the grass under the pads of his feet was amazing after being cooped up inside a closet for so long, but there was no time to stop and revel in it. He slowly lowered the chain down onto the foot he'd stuck under the door, then from there into the ground to minimise any noise. Then he retrieved the key and started trying them on Diana's lock. This time, the first one he tried fit, and the door opened.

"Come on, let's go!" Doc whispered, extremely conscious of the hunter sleeping behind him.

"Wait hold on, my papers!" Diana protested, grabbing some of them off the shelf and stuffing them into her journal.

"Are you kidding me right now? We need to get out of here man!" 

"Just a moment, there!" She tucked the book inside the coat she was wearing, then turned and grabbed a bundled blanket. With a roll of his eyes, Doc turned away and started walking towards the treeline, but the sight of something cyan caught his attention. He looked over and spotted something that made his heart jump. His Trident! Would the loyalty still work, even without his throwing arm? He held his hand out towards it and flexed his fingers. The trident shifted and came flying towards him, and he triumphantly snatched it out of the air.

Unfortunately, the weapon had caught the edge of a dagger balanced on the barrels above the sleeping hunter, and it tipped off directly onto his head, bouncing off the iron helmet and startling him awake.

"Run." 

The two former inmates fled towards the trees, only for Doc to falter and fall as the strength potion decided that this would be the best time to wear off. It really was not the best time; in fact, it probably couldn't have picked a worse one.

"Doc!" Diana called to him. The grip around his trident tightened. He had a weapon now, escaping would be easy if the worst came to worst.

"Just go! I can handle it!" 

"Hell noooh god." Diana's eye had widened, and a quick check behind him informed him of the reason; the hunter was awake and glaring at them.

"Diana you idiot just run!" He shouted while struggling to his feet. He spun around, trident in hand and prepared to fight back and give Diana a chance to escape. The hunter had drawn a sword and was running towards him, spewing profanities that made his ears hurt.

The sword swung at him, and he blocked it with the trident, cringing as the force easily pushed him down. In his weakened state, Doc knew he wouldn't stand a chance, so it seemed his only way out would mostly likely be respawning. A fist was thrown at his head, knocking him to the floor. As the stars swam before his eyes, the hunter grabbed the collar of his labcoat and pulled him into a position so their faces were only inches apart.

"I'm going to enjoy flaying the skin from your body you green piece of shit. Where's the best place to start. The face? The hands? Or maybe the feet to drag out out long enough…" his face split into a sadistic grin.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Sounds like… Fun."

_ Wow what the actual fuck. _

"How about starting nowhere." Came the voice of Diana, and a huge black shape crashed into the hunter, knocking him off of Doc. It snorted and reared, spinning around while doing so to land back on all fours. On its back, Diana was straddled, gripping tightly to the mane.

"Come on, get on, I think this horse is a fast one." As Doc was getting to his feet, the hunter reappeared.

"Bitch you came back for a fuckin creep-" there was a crunchy smack as the horse bucked, connecting directly with the hunters jaw and sending him flying. The helmet landed before he did, bouncing off a tree with a loud clank. Doc winced at the noise, and found himself pulling away from the horse before. However, he shook off the fear and scrabbled his way into the back of the animal.

"Well, they're all certainly awake now." Diana said, looking behind her to see if Doc was ready. "We good?"

"Yes. Go. Please!" Doc gasped. With a squeeze of her legs, the horse started off, galloping into the treeline. It wasn't long until the shape of the escapees had vanished from view, leaving nothing behind but the sprawled shape of a hunter, with his helmet resting on the ground beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #TeamHorse


	20. Sky high Saviour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some people learn how to fly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter to compensate for the shorter last one.

"Okay, now, put your arm through those loops… over the should- oh no…" Grian stepped forward and grabbed one of the elytra wings, untangling it from around Herobrine's arm. It flipped over his shoulder, revealing that the harness was twisted. With a sigh, he smoothed out the kink, finally getting the elytra onto Herobrine's shoulders in a somewhat presentable manner. The man seemed very uncomfortable with the straps that held the wings to his body, and Grian had to stop him from picking at them several times.

"Okay, we got it on, first step complete. Second, control." He announced, flexing his shoulders to spread his own elytra. Herobrine blinked and looked over at the greyish purple wings that were attached to him, and wiggled his arm a bit, noting how the elytra moved with the motion. He grabbed the leading edge and pulled the wing open, then let go. It folded back into place.

"I think, just experiment a bit, see what movements do what. Take your time, many people had trouble flying at first, some still do." Grian coughed suddenly, not so subtly saying "Mumbo" in the middle of it. Herobrine rolled his eyes and looked out over the edge of the platform they were standing on. It was raised high above the shopping district, with a large statue of an elytra behind them. From the vantage point, he could see several rings built into various buildings, of which Grian had explained was his Elytra challenge course.

"When you get the basics down, I'll take you through it!" He'd offered, which Herobrine agreed to in an instant. Only now he was struggling with the most basic of basics. Having anything tightly wrapped around his body was an unpleasant feeling, especially a flying harness which felt eerily similar to the feeling of chains binding him to a wall, restraining his every move, keeping him trapped down in darkness, locked away from light, imprisoned, alone, unable to breathe-

"Okay, it's okay, it's okay! Just take deep breaths… there, it's all okay!" Grian was right in front of him, with his hands in his shoulders and staring into his eyes. His face held a look of concern.

"If this is too much for you, we can stop. You don't have to do this." He said reassuringly. Herobrine shook his head and smiled weakly.

"Are you sure?" He nodded.

“Okay, if you say so. Just tell me if you want to stop.” Grian backed away to give Herobrine some space. Herobrine tested out some moves, but found the elytra to be disappointingly unresponsive.

"Try a shrug?” Grian suggested. Doing so made the wings move a bit, spreading then out.

“OOH, there’s the problem. You got them on backwards!”

For Notch’s sake…

A quick fix of the elytra later, he found that the harness wasn't as restrictingly tight, and the wings actually felt somewhat natural on his back. A quick flex told him they were much more responsive now. He smiled at Grian.

“Time to try out a glide?” Grian asked. Herobrine looked out over the edge of the platform to the ground far below and gulped.

“If you just tip forward, the elytra should open automatically. Come on, let’s give it a shot!” Grian demonstrated by diving off the platform. Like he had said, the wings opened and caught the air, slowing his descent from a plummet to a graceful glide. Herobrine steeled himself on the edge of the platform. Even if he failed, the fall wouldn't kill him, but it would still _ hurt _. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let himself drop.

The air rushed past his face, and with each second it didn't slow, his panic rose a bit more. Surely the wings must have taken effect? They felt loose on his back, not like a strong surface to catch the air at all. Over the rushing of the wind, he could hear the voice of Grian shouting at him. For some reason, it didn’t sound panicked, like he’d have expected. Instead it was excited. Who would be excited about watching a friend plummet to their death? Something wasn't right. So, to see what it was, Herobrine cracked an eye open.

He wasn’t falling.

The wings had worked. He was flying.

Any fear inside him was instantly blown away, replaced with pure joy and excitement. A twitch to the left would angle the wings that way, and send him soaring in that direction. Around him, Grian was flying excited loops, the trails of the fireworks billowing out behind him like streamers.

“That’s it! You’re doing it!” He slowed down, falling in right beside Herobrine, then held a firework out to him.

“Try using these!” Herobrine took it, then lit the fuse alight.

“Wait you only have to pull on the string-” Whatever Grian was saying was drowned out as the firework propelled Herobrine forward. Feeling ever more confident in his abilities, he flipped himself upside down, letting gravity take control and pull him towards the floor. At the very last second, he spread the wings to catch the air and send him flying upwards, and some whooping and hollering was heard from nearby. A quick look revealed it to be Ren, who was standing at the intersection between his log shop and rock shop, cheering him on. The momentum carried him for a bit longer, but he finally started to slow down. The path he took sent him skittering over the top of a shop and tumbling to the ground below, where he lay in a breathless exhilarated heap. Grian appeared, landing beside him.

“Wow! For a first time, not bad at all!” well, it wasn't exactly a _ first _ time… Grian was smiling as much as Herobrine was. “Maybe there will finally be someone to challenge my time on my elytra course! Oh! Hi Ecks-eye-zooma!” He had turned to wave at the admin who was passing by. Xisuma stopped to greet them back, and Herobrine could feel the large amount of worry coming off of him. He got to his feet and went over.

“Flying lessons? How’d he do?” Xisuma asked, his eyes on the wings on both of their backs.

“Amazing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wide smile on someone’s face!” Grian answered while beaming. X let out a laugh.

“That’s good!” Meanwhile, Herobrine was peering at the screen in X’s hand, reading the messages to try and figure out what had the admin so down.

**<Xisuma> Any news on Doc?**

**<Cubfan135> We’ve identified signs of the hunters, but no Doc yet.**

Xisuma noticed Herobrine’s snooping eyes and hid the communicator behind his back. However, Herobrine gave him a questioning look. For the first time, Grian noticed something was wrong.

“Anything the matter?” He asked.

“Nothing you should be concerned about.” Xisuma tried to reassure them.

“Doc’s not okay is he.” The admin cringed as Herobrine spoke exactly what was wrong.

“I… of course he’s…”

"I... I... h..." for goodness sake...

_ 'I haven't heard from him since he went to drive away the hunters from Keralis’s village. With how things are between us… He wouldn't be avoiding me.' _Herobrine held his book out, angling it so that Grian could read it as well. Xisuma sighed defeatedly.

“Yes… he’s missing… Don’t worry, Cub’s on the case.” The communicator beeped, and he took it out to look at it.

“Uh. Nevermind.”

**<cubfan135> WE’VE FOUND HIM**

  
  


\--

By the time Diana decided that they were far enough away to be safe for a while, Doc was practically asleep on her shoulder. The hunters weren't kidding when they said he was heavy, so instead of risking injury by trying to move him herself, she lightly bounced the shoulder he was resting on to awaken him.

"Yo, you in there?" The response was a groan, and then the thud of a body hitting the floor. Diana cringed at the outcome, which was what she'd have expected if she did try to help him off, not if she let him sort himself out. However, he rolled over onto his back and opened an eye.

"We there yet?"

"I don't know where "there" is, but we should be safe for now." she slid off the back of the horse and stroked it's nose. "Good horsey." It snorted and trotted off to a patch of grass. Diana turned to Doc, then crouched beside him.

"So, that thing that they stuck in you… where abouts is it?" She asked.

"How'd you know about that? But, here." He pointed to a scar on his chest with the handle of his trident. Diana inspected it with a frown.

“Well… I really don't think I can do anything about it without killing you… not that that matters to you but it would to me; trauma and all that. Besides, those things, they only last like a few days at most before dying.”

“What even is it? Did you make it?” Doc asked. Diana shuddered slightly.

“Kind of? That specific type, no, but I very much made it possible for the hunters to create that… I’m sorry… as for what it is. Basically I created a parasitic plantform that grows through the tissues of other plants, and incorporates parts of them into itself. This specific one… I think it’s part Wither rose, part Tulip and part Oxeye daisy, so selected for the medicinal effects those flowers have...” She scratched her chin, trying to remember just what effects those flowers even had. “Which give you Wither, Weakness and Regen respectively.”

“No wonder I feel so weak…” Doc sighed. “I kind of hate you right now…”

“Me too buddy, me too. It should wear off by tomorrow morning at the latest though, since it cannot survive without new plant tissue to consume. So, we just stay safe till then, and then… well, I don’t know. I was honestly never expecting to get out of there alive.” She smiled slightly. “So, thank you.”

“We get back to Hermitville, I gather stuff and go blow those hunters to bits…” He slowly leaned forward and got to his feet, leaning on his trident, and made his way over to the slightly overhanging cliff that bordered the small clearing they were in. In the shadow, he sat down heavily, and dropped the trident by his side. Diana followed him, sitting down a few feet away. For a while, there was nothing but silence between them. The air was awkward, since Diana knew she was partially, or maybe even fully to blame for the state Doc was in. And he did not seem to be forgiving about it. So it came as a surprise when he was the one to speak first.

“So, what’s in that book of yours?”

"This?" She asked, pulling her journal out from her coat. "It's like… just something I write and study things in." 

"What sort of things?"

"Anything that piques my interest. Be it a weird plant, animal, strange geographical formation… I also use it to just… doodle in."

"Interesting… can I see some of it?" The idea of someone actually being curious about the work she'd done was unfamiliar, yet it pleased her greatly, enough to make her almost forget that Doc himself was one of the "things" she'd written about. 

"Uh, yes! Sure!" She shuffled closer and opened the journal to the first page. A few loose papers fell out and drifted into Doc's lap, and he grabbed them to read through them.

"A study into the conductive properties of Creepers?" 

"Argh, that one. Was so much work for so little outcome… firstly I had to capture a creeper, secondly I had to actually get some samples from it without it exploding, then I found I couldn't do much of anything with what I got. Redstone isn't a good substitute for lightning… and I can't exactly control lightning." She sighed. 

"So instead you just looked at what creepers are made of." Doc was looking at the next paper, reading through it.

"Yeah. Kinda boring, didn't really find anything new…" Diana took in each page as she flicked through the book, stopping on the page of her experiments with plant hybridization.

"Cocoa beans? You used cocoa beans as a basis of that thing?" Doc asked, reading over her shoulder.

"Yeah? They aren't actually the fruit of the jungle tree, instead are parasitic of it. I began research into seeing if I can get it to grow on any other tree, and then things got… kinda out of hand. I kept getting unexpected results and explored down those paths." She turned the page to reveal the paragraphs describing what had happened. "Take a read if you want." She offered, holding the book towards him. Doc took the book and started reading. Several expressions flashed across his face as he took in the information.

"You know… I kinda just assumed that the cocoa was part of the tree… never thought about it otherwise." Diana shrugged.

"Yeah, everyone seems to just know that a thing is there, and has always been there without thinking about where, why or how. And in my experience, they shun those who do ask those questions…" in her moment of thoughtful speech, she hadn't noticed Doc flicking through the pages.

"Fascinating… truly fascinating… and what is this? This looks interesting… "examination of a new and unusual form of… uhh… ecks… intack……. creeper. I wonder what this could be ab-" the book was snatched from his hand and stashed under the coat of a bright-red looking Diana.

"Aww, come on man, I was reading that!"

"It's, uuuh, unreviewed. Incomplete." She stuttered out, internally cringing at the lame excuse.

"Then let me review it!" Doc encouraged. “Come oon!”

"I, uh, it's, uhm…" her face had flushed even redder, if that was even possible. "You… I…" the grin on Doc's face was telling.

"How did you know about it?" She asked.

"You speak what you are writing. I heard it all, man." He chuckled.

“Oh for goodness sake…” Diana buried her face in her hands, wanting with every inch of her being to just melt into the floor to get out of the situation.

“You know, it was pretty weird to hear someone talking about you in the way you wrote it out, but kinda cool at the same time. Not often you get to know what other people’s first impressions are in such minute detail.”

“Please, Doc, shut up…”

"And you seem to know a lot about Creepers as well. Are you fond of them? Some people say I look a bit scary, but you seemed to not mind me at all…”

“I guess I have become used to them over the years, learnt how to work around the whole explodey thing to try and study them. Do you have any idea how bloody difficult it is to sneak up on a Creeper? The hearing those things have is phenomenal!”

“If you say so, I wouldn't know...” Doc suddenly looked away, staring into the bushes. “I hear someone coming.”

Diana fell silent, listening out for whatever had caught his attention, but heard nothing. However a feeling of paranoia seeded itself inside her.

“Permission to use your weapon?” She whispered. Doc nodded, still staring into the underbrush. There came a quiet rustle in that instantly set Diana in edge. She turned towards it, her eye peering into the shadow cast by the trees to pick out whoever was there. Slowly, she bent over and grabbed Doc's trident, then advanced towards the source of the noise with it outstretched in front of her. There was another rustle, and Diana brought her arm back, ready to lob the trident at whoever had found them. A bush in front of her shook, then a small animal with ginger fur jumped out, stopping to shake itself off.

"Oh." Feeling rather stupid, Diana lowered the weapon she was holding.

"Heeey! Foxy came back!" Doc held his hand out as the fox approached him, and it stopped to let him pet it. 

"Oh my goodness, that thing nearly gave me a heart attack!" Diana was blushing bright red again as she returned the trident to Doc's side. The fox quickly jumped into his lap and laid down, half hiding its face in his labcoat.

“Me too…” He admitted. “Kind of funny though.” The mental image of her so ready to fight against a deadly enemy, only for that enemy to turn out to be a cute little fox tickled Diana’s humour as well. She giggled and sat down, watching Doc play with the animal, and slowly shuffled closer until it was letting her interact with it too. The fur was soft and warm under her hand, and it made some strange but cute noises as she scratched it behind the ears. Although it was not long until the journal was out and she was writing about it, in true Diana fashion. She’d not had the chance to study a fox so closely before, so this was an opportunity she couldn’t pass. 

Even with the relaxed scene though, she could not forget the imminent threat of being found and recaptured by those that had held her prisoner for so long. Something as simple as an unexpected shadow flickering over the clearing instantly caught Diana's attention. She peered out, and spotted something hovering high in the sky.

"Uh, Doc… what is that?" She asked, pointing skywards. He leaned forward to take a look, and the fox jumped off of his lap.

"That's a… that's a concorp drone!" Doc jumped to his feet, seemingly bursting with an energy that neither of them knew he had, and ran out into the clearing, waving his arm.

"HEY! DOWN HERE!" The drone whizzed out of sight.

"Nooo!" He ran back to retrieve his trident, then went out again. The drone flew overhead, and he threw the trident at it. It clattered off of the chassis and dropped back down, but the thing froze and started rotating as if searching the area. In the meantime, Doc had taken his labcoat off and was waving it frantically, trying to get the drone's attention. It finally turned towards him, then dropped down, coming to a stop a few feet from the ground. A few beeping noises came from it, but it remained still, hovering there almost silently.

"Uh… Doc… are you sure about this?" Diana whispered, hiding behind the horse. The thing shifted, and screen appeared and turned on, revealing the image of a bald man with a thick grey beard and a labcoat.

"Mr Docm77, can you hear me?" 

"Cub! Yes, I can hear you!" 

"Alright! We foun-" Cub was knocked off screen by Scar, who practically grabbed whatever was recording the video feed.

"Oh my god, Doc! I've been worried sick, are you okay? Are you hurt? You look exhausted oh my god what happened to you arm? Please tell me those people didn't do anything bad to you-"

The sheer amount of genuine fear in this man's voice convinced Diana that these newcomers were friendly. She came out from behind the horse and went over to Doc, who was struggling to sling his labcoat back on with only one arm, and pulled it over the metal stump herself.

"Uh, Doc, who is that?" 

"Hi, I'm Diana. We were roommates." She waved at the video feed awkwardly, noticing how Doc's legs were shaking, and could barely catch him in time as he crumpled into a heap.

"And my goodness please send help this guy is heavy."

"Oh no, Doc? Are you okay? Stay right there we are on our way!" The video cut, and the drone lifted a few meters into the air. Diana sighed, and dragged the unconscious cyborg back to the overhang while staring at the drone as it shifted to watch her. She draped the blanket over him and sat down, and was soon joined by the fox. It nosed its way under the blanket and shifted so that only it's snout was poking out. 

"Aww…" the sight helped her relax a bit, but she was still very much on edge and hyper aware of every noise that reached her ears. So when the ignition of fireworks suddenly broke through the soft sounds of nature, she jumped out of her skin.

"Is that the drone? That's the drone! The cliff is just… Here." At the announcement of "here" someone dropped down a few meters in front of her. She jumped up and grabbed the trident, slowly advancing towards the stranger with the weapon out in front of her. A second one appeared, and she finally recognised them from the video on the drone.

"Howdy! I assume you are Diana?" The bald one asked. She nodded slowly, flicking her eye between the two and noticing a grey striped cat on the other's shoulder. Slowly, the trident was lowered, and she stood aside to let them get to Doc. 

"Doc! Oh god no!" Cat man was instantly at his side, kneeling down and checking him over. The bald man hung back, tapping on a device in his hand.

"My name is Cub, very nice to meet you. You were with the hunters?" He said almost absentmindedly.

"Uh, not by choice? We.. Me and Doc, I mean... were held captive together…"

"Okay." More tapping on the device. It was starting to get on Diana's nerves. A surprised yowl caught her attention, and she looked over to see the cat was on top of the other man's head with its fur fluffed out. The fox that was tucked under the blanket had been uncovered, and it was blinking at the cat innocently. 

"Ah. Doc and his foxes, hasn't he learnt that they are unreliable guard dogs?" The man commented with a chuckle.

"Hey! I'll have you know that fox got us out of prison!" Diana strode over to them.

"What? How?"

"I… honestly don't know. Ask Doc. When he's… awake." The fox trotted away, but stayed in the area, watching them intently.

"Alright Jellie, calm down, it's just a fox." He said, petting the cat to smooth it's fur down. Then he turned to Cub.

"How are we going to get him back to Hermitville? He can't fly and there's no portals close by." 

"How about the horse?" Diana suggested, going over to give the referred to beast a pat on the neck. "It got us this far, thing's fast." Cub reacted by stuffing the device into his pocket.

"I could call a heavy duty drone in, but that will take time to get here, even through the portals. I think I can work with horseback." He went over to Doc, crouched down and proceeded to sling him over his shoulder with ease.

"Scar? Can you figure out the best route back?" The other nodded.

"On it!" He opened the wings on his shoulders and took off into the air.

"Hold on… you guys can fly?" Diana asked in amazement.

"Yes, with the elytra and fireworks." He went over to the horse and placed Doc on the back of it, then stood back to take in the sight of the entire animal.

"I notice this horse doesn't have a saddle?"

"I uh… it didn't need one. For some reason it responded just fine." She hadn't even considered a saddle. At the time, she’d just wanted to get her and Doc out of the hunter’s camp.

"No worries, I'll ask Scar to grab one." Cub replied, taking out the device again. Diana stood by, watching the scene and couldn't help but notice something was missing.

"Hold on, what about me? Are you just going to leave me here?" She asked. A small frown flickered across Cub's face.

"We uh… don't know whether we can trust you. With your affiliation with the enemy, we can't be taking any chances." Diana pointed to the messy scarred side of her face.

"They did this to me. Do you really think I want anything to do with them?" The man looked at her awkwardly.

"Don't… leave. She… good…" came a quiet slurred voice from the cyborg slumped over the back of the horse. Cub looked at Doc with an eyebrow raised, then sighed.

"Okay." He took the wings off of his shoulders and held them out to her. She took them, examining them closely, then attached them to her own, flexing them to feel how they moved.

They were unexpectedly responsive, and it didn't take long to figure out how to spread them to catch the wind. Cub handed her a bunch of fireworks, of which a quick look revealed no explosive star inside.

"Try it out, see if you can get the hang of it." He said, turning back to the horse and his device. Diana quickly decided the best course of action was to climb to the top of the small cliff, and stood at the edge, looking to the clearing below. Scar had returned in the time it took to reach the top, and was in the process of clipping a saddle to the horse, who was giving him problems, while Cub was doing his best to keep the beast steady. She watched the scene unfold below her for a little while, then turned her attention to the sky. With the ease that Scar had taken off from the ground, jumping from a high place to catch the wind would be simple as can be. But it still felt wrong to be planning to launch oneself off a cliff. 

Diana took a deep breath, shrugged open the wings, and jumped off the edge. As expected, the wings caught the air and she glided forward, quickly shooting over the clearing. As the wind whipped around her hair, she took out a firework and examined it, pulling on the string that hung from the bottom. It popped open, and a burst of particles propelled her forward.

She gasped at the sudden acceleration, and angled the rocket towards the sky. The momentum took her higher above the trees, and when the fireworks finally burnt away, she took out another one and repeated the action, feeling the rush of exhilaration of flying through the air as freely as a bird. Behind her, a shape rose into the air from the forest, and she looked over to see it was Scar. She twisted her body in the air to turn around, and propelled herself towards him with a firework, falling in beside him so they were almost wingtip to wingtip. He turned to her with a smile.

“How you finding it?”

Diana grinned back.

“This is amazing!” 

“It sure is.” Scar agreed. “Isn’t that right Jellie?” The cat was tucked into his shirt, clinging to the fabric. It's ears were flattened to it's head, a clear sign that it did not find the experience 'amazing' in the slightest.

“See? Jellie agrees!”

Diana rolled her eyes and looked away, and spotted the black shape of the horse down below, threading in between trees. Scar zoomed ahead and descended down, gesturing to the horse and rider, most likely giving directions. She slowed down a bit as to not take the lead, as she didn't actually know where they were headed. So instead she took to flying around in lazy circles, getting a feel for the sensation of flight and studying all its intricacies as she slowly followed the others as they made their way through the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the inevitable has been reached... I have run out of fully completed chapters.  
*scared noises*


	21. Down and Downer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which he gets a pep talk.

By the time something that wasn't just wilderness came into view, the sun was beginning to set. Diana circled around and landed on a tower, and watched as the horse paused at the fence below, then at the guidance of Scar, turned and went along the length of it until it was out of sight. She turned away and looked out over the scene before her, and her jaw dropped at the sight of the huge airfields, hangars and aircraft. 

“Hooly… woow…” She dropped from the top of the tower and glided down to land on a runway, then simply wandered around, taking in all of the sights before her. As she was inspecting one of the aircraft, some fireworks were heard overhead, but she ignored them, knowing of the flying technique that was used by these 'Hermits'. The whoosh of wings returned however, and something landed behind her. She gulped, and prepared to turn around when a hand was laid on her shoulder.

Slowly, she looked behind her, and her eye widened at the sight of the person standing there. Their face was hidden behind a heavy dark grey helmet with a purple visor, and their body was covered in thick green armour that did not disguise the sheer amount of muscle underneath. They leaned forward slightly, making her shrink away in terror when-

"Hello there! I don't believe I've seen you around before. There have been a lot of new faces lately, jeez."

That… was not the voice she was expecting.

"Uhh… h-hi?" She grinned nervously, and gave a small wave. "N-nice to meet you."

"That's a relief, a new face, and they aren't immediately trying to kill us!" 

"What?" The last thing she expected from a person like this was fear of being attacked. Guess you really can't judge a book by it's cover.

"Nice to meet you too, I am Xisuma, the admin." He introduced himself, holding a hand out to shake.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhdiana." She took it, and proceeded to nearly have her shoulder dislocated.

"Well, Uuuuhdiana, what brings you around here?" Diana raised an eyebrow at the bastardization of her name. Hopefully it was a joke.

"Enslavement." She replied. Xisuma took a step back.

"Enslavement?" He echoed.

"Enslavement." 

There was a moment of silence between them.

"By… who?" X asked.

"Theeee… Herobrine… Hunters…" Diana looked down, preparing for the scoff of someone who didn't believe her. Instead, however, he crossed his arms and huffed.

"Of course it is… those guys don't know when to quit… We really need to work on getting rid of them." Diana blinked in surprise.

"Wait, they're after you guys as well?" She asked.

"Yep, they've kidnapped two of us now!" He sighed, and for the first time Diana noticed his posture was that of someone who was overly tired and stressed out, but holding it together the best they could. She winced as she said the next thing out loud:

"Doc?" 

Xisuma went tense.

"You know Doc?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah… We were kept prisoner together. By the hunters." She explained, hoping that she hadn't just doomed herself.

"You were held by the hunters?" Xisuma responded. “What for?”

"They used me to make stuff for them, hence the enslavement bit." Diana said. “I maaay have… maybe been their main armourer… s...sorry...”

"So you know what tricks they use?" That wasn't the angry response she was expecting.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyeh."

He grabbed her hand, and tugged it slightly in a way to get her moving.

"You must help us then! I’m planning an attack to drive them away once and for all, and your knowledge will be a huge help!"

When faced with a six foot tall mountain of armour that looked like he ate nails for breakfast, one would find themselves going along with any orders they gave. Diana wasn't exactly happy about it, but she sure as hell wasn't going to refuse. So she followed obediently behind X, trying to ignore the frantic beating of her heart.

He was travelling along a road leading away from the runways and through the trees, and ahead it dipped underground with a large building sitting over it. Off to the side the horse was stood, nibbling at the grass. It lifted its head to look at them, and snorted as they passed. Xisuma went to the door of the building and opened it, stepping aside and gesturing to Diana to go through. She stepped inside nervously, and peered around the room. There wasn't anything inherently ill intentioned around, but those barrels could contain anything. X stepped past and ascended the stairs.

"Hello guys!" He called out.

"Hey X." Scar answered, followed by a soft mew from Jellie.

"How is Doc?" X asked. Diana climbed the stairs after him and stood off to the side, feeling awkwardly out of place.

Cub emerged from a doorway and went over to a brewing stand.

“He’s been afflicted with something, and I can’t identify what. The effects are both similar to Wither and Regen, and I cannot get rid of them…” 

“I uh… know what it is…” Diana said quietly. Cub turned to her.

“Please, do tell.” He said with a slight tone of suspicion in his voice. She stepped forward and opened her journal, turning to the page of her plant hybrid experiments, and he and Xisuma leaned over to read the writing.

“I don’t see… how universal coconuts are related to anything?” X mused.

“They’re related to everything.” Diana said, turning the page. “It was the basis of the thing I managed to create. A type of… parasitic plant that will grow through and take over other plants. The Herobrine hunters… They used this research to make one hybridized from a Wither rose, Tulip and Oxeye Daisy. This inflicts the effects you described, Cub.”

“So… They made a potion out of that and he’s under the effects of it?” Scar hypothesized.

“No, they took the plant itself and kind of just…” Diana mimicked a shoving motion with her hands. “Right into a stab wound.” Scar cringed at the graphic image.

“So, what can we even do about that?” Cub asked.

“Nothing. Without more plant tissue to consume, it will die by tomorrow, and the effects will wear off.” She said. “Trying to take it out will most likely kill him… although… that’s not really a problem to you guys is it?”

“It is to you?” Xisuma asked with a frown.

“I mean… I guess? Don’t really want to try it out…” Diana shrugged. X tapped a finger on the side of his helmet in a thoughtful manner, then proceeded down the stairs with a promise of “Be back in a minute.”

Diana watched him go, then turned back to Cub and Scar.

“You guys going to try and get rid of the hunters?”

“Hopefully…” Scar said with a hint of uncertainty.

“That’s great! How can I help?” She thumped the book down on the table.

“You seem to have knowledge of these people, and also of what tools they have. Tell us about them. Everything.” Cub ordered. Diana felt a grin creep across her face. It seemed that a chance to finally take revenge was presenting itself right in front of her, and she would sure as hell jump for it no questions asked.

“I would be delighted to!”

\--

Herobrine landed at the gate leading to area 77 and shrugged the wings off his back. He looked around, but couldn't see or sense anyone to receive him, so he stepped inside himself. The paths on the other side took him through thick trees and led under a structure, inside which he finally sensed what he was looking for - humans. Specifically Xisuma, who had left the shopping district in a hurry after receiving the message from Cub. Behind him, Grian landed on the concrete.

"Have you found them?" He asked. Herobrine pointed to a building with a landing pad and some sort of strange vehicle built into the roof.

"They're in there? Okay." He took the lead, jumping towards the building and landing on the roof. Herobrine followed behind and found him peering in through a window. Inside, Xisuma, Cub, Scar and a girl he didn't recognize were clustered around a doorway leading into another room. The girl was speaking to X, who was recording something on his communicator.

"Who is that?" Grian asked, his face pressed against the window. Herobrine shrugged and jumped down to enter the building through the open door. Inside, he could hear the chatter going on as he slowly climbed the stairs. 

"I'll see what I can do when it comes to combating the sleep drug, but I can't make any promises." Came an unknown female voice. "But I'll show you how to supercondense. It's pretty simple, and might be helpful."

"Could you find a way to combat the wither?" Xisuma asked. There was the sound of flipping pages.

"Just milk. But the thorns they have forged in are designed to come off and stick in anyone they attack, so that's a thing you have to watch out for." The unknown woman answered.

"Right, yes, I can confirm that." Xisuma mused. It seemed whoever this lady was, she was deep in telling the admin of every little trick the hunters had. Was she a part of them?

"It's best to identify that you have a thorn in your side quickly, since they have a way of working themselves deeper into you as you move." She added on to the last statement. "So if the wither just does not wear away, chances are you've been thorned. However, even after its removed some of the toxins may have seeped into your bloodstream, especially if it was stuck in an area of high blood flow. I recommend-"

Grian suddenly skipped straight past him, going out into the room.

"Hey guys!"

"GAH!" Grian ducked as a book flew over his head.

"Oh, hello Grian!"

"Hero said you'd found Doc? Is he alright?" He asked. In response, the voice of the cyborg himself was heard:

"Jus' about man…" his words were slightly slurred though, as if he was under the effect of something, and Herobrine quickly focused on his presence to figure out what was wrong. He nearly recoiled in disgust at the feeling of something horrible that was attached to Doc. It pulsated with Wither energy, as well as mixed in forces from nature that had no deal being anywhere in this thing. Very much similar to a Wither rose, but much more sickening. And it seemed to be _ growing _. The tendrils of it were wrapping around Doc, suppressing his strength, keeping him subdued. Herobrine peered over the edge of the floor, and Grian waved at him.

"Hey Hero!" He ducked back below, not wanting to feel 5 pairs of eyes on him.

"Who's Hero? Where is…" came the voice of the lady.

"Oh, he's kind of shy. Give him time." Grian answered. However, Herobrine wasn't sure if he wanted to reveal himself to anyone associated with the hunters, even if they seemed to be helping Xisuma. However, his curiosity got the better of him, and when the stranger had shifted into the room Doc was in, he slowly crept towards the doorway and peered inside. 

Cub and Scar were both kneeling beside the turquoise bed that Doc was sprawled on. Doc himself was breathing heavily, and he looked to be in a lot of pain. With no walls blocking the way, the presence of the thing afflicting him was ever stronger, and the feeling of it made Herobrine want to be sick. At Doc's left shoulder, a fox was laying down with its snout nuzzled into his cheek, and it was flicking it's eyes between each person in the room, looking extremely nervous. Next to it, Scar's cat, Jellie, was sat grooming her paws, every now and then flashing a look at the fox. Doc's right eye opened and focused on Herobrine, and his face slowly split into a grin.

"Well, wouldya look whowit isssss…" he looked to the girl. "Heeey Diana… I think you miiight be interested in who is behind you…"

"Huh?" She turned around as Herobrine ducked behind the wall. That name… sounded familiar… from where though? He frowned as he tried to remember, only to have his train of thought broken by a single brown eye staring at him.

"Is it… really you?" She asked in an almost shy fashion. Herobrine blinked, thinking back to all of the hunters he'd seen to see if she was one of them. None of them matched her though, yet he simply could not shake off the feeling that they have met before. He took a step backwards, feeling extremely exposed as now both Scar and Grian were staring at him as well. Diana tilted her head to one side, examining him from head to toe. Herobrine took another step back, only to find no floor underneath his feet. He dropped with a sharp yelp and tumbled down the stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom. Grian appeared at the top, looking down at him, and upon seeing that Herobrine was okay, burst into laughter.

"Oh wow, you're nearly as much of a spoon as Mumbo!" He chuckled out while descending towards Herobrine's crumpled form. Herobrine responded with a flustered grunt and untangled himself from himself, looking back to see Diana was peering down at him, still seemingly probing him for his deepest secrets with her eye. He gulped and scrambled to his feet, then ran for the door.

Outside, Herobrine sat down and buried his face in his hands. Doc was back, but the hunters had done something to him; if anything it felt like he was slowly dying. If they had done that to one of the strongest of the hermits, what would they do to the rest of them? They didn't deserve this. He'd caused so much trouble for the them just by being here, yet they had accepted and taken him in no questions asked, even with a few hiccups in the process. And now because of that, they were being attacked, hunted down, captured and tortured by those who were hunting him and him alone. They should be angry, wanting to get rid of the problem, get rid of _ him_. Yet they were not.

In fact, when he'd suggested that solution himself, they'd completely rejected it.

It filled him with such an intense feeling of guilt that it almost made him want to run away anyway. Yet every time that thought crossed his mind, the feeling deepened even more. He didn't know what to do, where to go. It was… so unfamiliar. So strange that for once, running wasn't the best option.

So with that idea out of the way, next idea would be fighting. And then that idea gets thrown out too. He'd already tried to fight the hunters off many times; it never worked. With so many people against only him, they would quickly take him down in a fight, no matter what he tried. 

So now what?

The door opened, and Xisuma stepped out, looked around and spotted Herobrine, then sat down beside him.

"What's got you down then, my friend?" He asked. Herobrine sighed, but didn't immediately answer. The admin had enough problems to deal with, he didn't need Herobrine's own issues on top of that. 

"N...n…no...th…" including his issues with talking. He went to take out his trusty book, but decided against it.

"It can't be nothing, nothing doesn't get a person down like this. It's okay, you can talk to me." Herobrine shook his head, but inside him, he felt the force of everything straining against the walls of restraint.

"It's also okay if you don't want to… unfortunately I can't just hang around, much as I would love to." Still no answer, but he noticed that Herobrine kept motioning to take out his writing book, then refraining at the last second. X raised an eyebrow, then shifted to get to his feet with a sigh. However, a tight hand on his arm stopped him, and he looked down to meet Herobrine's teary gaze. He sat back down, and gave him a gentle "Go on then."

Herobrine finally relented, grabbed the quill and started writing.

_ 'I don't know what to do anymore. I've come to this place and caused nothing but trouble for you, and then led my hunters here which went on to cause even more issues. _

_ My way of dealing with them is running away, yet you don't want me to leave, despite it being the best option. I can't fight them, I can't do anything. _

_ I feel trapped in a situation I cannot possibly escape. At least alive. _

_ I'm so lost and alone, and it's scaring me more than anything. _

_ What do I do?' _

Xisuma read through the words.

"But you're not."

_ 'Not what?' _

"You're not alone. We're here. And we want to help." A smile reached X's eyes through his visor.

"I guess that is extremely unfamiliar to you… but there is an option. Trust us, work with us, and we can get through this together. And nobody has to leave… except maybe the hunters. We definitely want them gone." The blunt statement made Herobrine snort with amusement.

"You came here looking for help, and we can't just turn away a person in need, especially not someone in such a situation as you find yourself in. So we want to help solve this problem, and to do that, we need you!" Herobrine blinked. They _ needed _ him?

"And from what I have heard, the Hermits you have been around all say you're a delight to spend time with. We want you to stay, not to trap you, but because we like you. You've almost become a part of the family in just a few short days." Xisuma clapped a hand onto Herobrine's shoulder.

"We want you around, and no amount of bad people will change that." 

Herobrine had to fight to control his breathing. A hard lump had formed in his throat, of which he couldn't swallow away, and he screwed his eyes shut.

"Y… Y-you… want me…" he whispered. 

"Of cour-" Xisuma's sentence was cut off as a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders. He froze, then slowly returned Herobrine's hug, patting his hand on his back gently.

"Now now… let's get back inside shall we?" Herobrine nodded, releasing the embrace and getting to his feet after Xisuma, then proceeded to follow the admin back into the building.


	22. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they learn of the shared past.

Inside, Diana and Cub were deep in conversation, discussing the information that she was giving them.

“They did _ what _ with their armour?” Cub asked, seemingly shocked.

“Forged... bedrock into it.” Diana answered.

“H-how?” Grian spluttered. She shrugged.

“Some sort of sorcery. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it was just straight actual magic.”

“So they got unbreakable armour… great.” Cub sighed.

“Not unbreakable… there is a way of separating the bedrock from the iron. When the armour receives a massive electric shock, the energy will force the molecules to separate, weakening the armour and eventually just making it crumble. Unfortunately, unless we got Thor himself on our side, we’re not going to be selectively striking then with lightning. And charged creepers are so rare…”

“Ah. that is where you are wrong, my friend!” Xisuma smiled. “We might not have Thor, but we do have the… Doc...Thor…” His smile faltered. “Who is currently out of action.”

“Wait, Doc… Thor... what?” Diana looked between X and Doc. “Can he control lightning?? It’s possible to control lightning??”

“Y...yes…” Herobrine spoke for the first time.

“I mean, technically all of us can, it’s just Doc has adopted it as one of his things.” Grian explained.

“But how?” Diana asked.

“With… this.” Doc’s voice was heard. Herobrine peered in through the doorway to see him holding out his trident, and instinctively recoiled. The cyborg chuckled at the sight. 

“No hard feelings, man…”

Diana was now staring at Herobrine again.

“I hadn’t even noticed you’d come back…” She whispered. He shuffled away from her a bit, and Grian took notice of his discomfort and stood in between them. Diana seemed to understand the intent of this action and looked away.

“So you can control lightning with one of those things… that is actually a huge help to us, since they believe their armour to be unbreakable and some of the less experienced ones might let their guard down." She pounded her fist into her hand excitedly as she said this. 

"Oh boy, this is getting excitiing~"

"Wow, you're really eager to go against those hunters." Grian noted.

"How could I not be? Being a potion slave isn't exactly a happy time." 

\--

As Diana was explaining everything she knew to the others, Herobrine slipped into the room Doc was in and sat down, focusing on the thing that was afflicting him. 

"Heeey, Herobrine, my man…" Doc turned to grin at him. Herobrine cringed and looked away.

“I guess we got off to a bad start, ehh?” He said, still grinning. “How’s your neck?” Herobrine scowled at him, and he raised his hand innocently.

"Hey now, I was legitimately asking!" It seemed that Doc was making an effort to be more friendly since his holding by the hunters. Maybe he'd learnt a thing or two about cruel treatment. Herobrine sighed and shrugged while nodding.

"Did I… disable your ability to speak?" Doc asked. Herobrine shook his head, narrowing his eyes at him. He was having trouble telling if Doc was trying to antagonize him, or was being sincere, a matter not helped with how slurred the cyborg's speech currently was. He leaned over and pointed to Doc's chest, directly at where the parasite plant had been inserted the day before.

"You know about that? It's nothing… it'll be gone by tomorrow…" Doc said. Herobrine fished his book out and opened it.

_ 'It does not feel like nothing.' _

The response seemed to weird Doc out a bit.

"...Elaborate on feel?" It was at that request that Herobrine realised, perhaps for the first time, that his ability to sense energy wasn't actually commonplace. It was something so natural to him that some part of his subconsciousness assumed it was just a thing anyone could do. He turned his book back around, then paused, not knowing how to begin explaining it.

_ 'I can sense energy' _was the only thing he could think of.

"Uh?" Scar vocalised. Herobrine jumped at the sudden appearance of the hermit.

"Like, just feeling it?" He asked. Herobrine nodded slowly, then he grabbed his book and started writing.

_ ‘Whatever, but Doc is in trouble if you don’t sort out that thing.’ _

Scar winced.

“We’ll sort it out, don’t you worry yourself…”

He smiled at Herobrine, but it did not reach his eyes, betraying that he was as worried as Herobrine was. 

"Man, he's worried about me?" Doc asked quietly. "Even after what I did to him?" 

"You're a really decent fella, y'know! I feel bad for sticking you with a trident…" Scar said. Herobrine looked down at the floor, regretting his decision to come in to the room. Someone else entered, and Diana was suddenly crouching beside him. He could feel Doc's eye boring into him, and he looked over to see him looking between him and Diana. He gave a subtle nod to her and laid back, seemingly waiting for something. Herobrine frowned, wondering just what Doc was thinking when Diana cleared her throat.

"Hey… uh… can I ask you a few questions?" She asked. He slowly nodded, curious on what it was that had Diana so interested in him.

"Do you remember… a village being set aflame?" She asked. He cringed and gave a nod. Seems it was the fact that she had a personal reason to take revenge against him after all.

"Which one…?" He whispered, hoping that she was referring to one he wasn't present at.

"One in a valley bordering a roofed forest." 

Crap. That one wasn't his fault, but it wouldn't be surprising if he was blamed for it.

"But… do you remember going into one of those houses? And finding someone inside?" She continued. Herobrine frowned, thinking back and recalling a memory. He remembered hearing a terrified cry for help coming from the burning shell of a house. He'd gone inside, and found a child trapped under a fallen beam. 

"Yes… a little girl. Trapped." He answered. The memory was burnt into his mind, the traumatized look on her face, her reaching out to him, begging for help.

"And what did you do?" Diana went on to ask.

It was obvious of what he had to do. He remembered the heat of the charred beam against his shoulder as he lifted it, freeing the girl. She had gripped onto his trousers, and he was soon cradling her in his arms, barging his way out of the burning building.

“I… pulled her out… got her out of the fire...”

“You saved her?” Diana questioned. Herobrine blinked.

“How do you know all of this??” He asked, somewhat freaked out by how much knowledge she seemed to have about this specific event.

“Do you… remember her name?” she ignored the question, instead continuing with her own inquiries.

“It was… uhh…” Herobrine squinted, trying to remember. “It was… Dian-” His head snapped to look at Diana.

“Is it… you… are you…” Diana was beaming at him with a tear spilling down her face.

“It… it was real! I knew it was real!” She threw her arms around him, making him go tense. As he realized that it wasn't an attack, he relaxed and slowly wrapped his arms around her in return.

“You have history? That’s so sweet!” Scar smiled, resting his cheek on his hand while watching them.

“Yeaaaaahhh…!” Doc let out a weak cheer, then went limp. Scar shuffled over to examine him.

“He passed out…” He reported. Diana sighed.

“Let him sleep…” She suggested, still tightly wrapped aroung Herobrine. "We can wait."

\--

Xisuma turned to look at the three as they emerged from the bedroom. Diana was beaming with joy, and even Herobrine looked slightly more cheery than usual.

“Doc’s sleeping.” Scar told him from behind the two. Xisuma nodded.

“Okay, I trust he will be fine after some rest. Diana, I have something for you.” He stepped forward and held something out to her. It was one of the devices that all of the hermits had. She took it and turned it on.

**<Welcome, Diana_Right̡͜҉̶͞**

She turned the screen back off.

“Can I change my name?” 

“Of course!” Xisuma opened his own communicator and took her through the process. She quickly followed and re opened the chat.

**<Diana> test.**

**<Iskall85> Hello?**

  
  


“Okay, thank you! Uh… what is this exactly?” She asked.

“It's a communicator! We use it to chat between ourselves over long distances. It has a few features, I’ll be happy to take you through them.” X offered. He felt a light tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see Herobrine.

“Uhh oh yes! I must get you one as well! It totally slipped my mind until now, I apologize!” He quickly ran out of the room, leaving the rest in an awkward silence. Diana’s communicator beeped, and she looked into it.

**<Grian> boo!**

**<Diana> oh no, so scary**

Grian chuckled from the corner. She looked over to see him also holding a communicator.

“I guess that’s you then?” She asked. Grian nodded.

“Heya! You and Hero are friends?” He asked in turn.

“I mean, I guess? It’s been so long since we were last together…” Diana wrapped her arms around herself, remembering the bittersweet goodbye she’d given to her saviour, only to be told it had never happened. 

“From what I heard, he’s more your dad.” Grian said with a mischievous smile.

“What? No! I mean… I guess back then yes? I mean… what?” Every conscious person in the room burst into fits of laughter. They were still recovering when Xisuma returned. He held a communicator out to Herobrine, who took it and turned it on.

**<Welcome, !͉-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗.>**

“Still no luck on getting it to recognise your name I see…” X commented, peering over his shoulder. He motioned Diana to come over.

“I’ll show you both how to work this thing at the same time, to save time. Shall we begin?” They both nodded enthusiastically.

The light of the sun on the floor shifted slowly as time went on, along with Jellie as she napped the afternoon away in it. Xisuma was in the final stages of communicator tutorial, explaining all about the voice chat. Grian and Cub had long since left, and Scar was sitting at Doc’s bedside, keeping an eye on his friend.

“And you press this button to disconnect from the voice chat.” X said, pointing to the referred button. Herobrine did so, in spite of the fact that he wasn't even currently in a call, while Diana was simply nodding along and writing in her journal, presumably notes on what was being taught to her.

“And that’s everything you need to know!” Xisuma finished.

“Thank you!” Herobrine whispered, holding the device close to his chest.

“You’re very welcome my friend. Now, if you excuse me, I have a big meeting to plan…” He pushed himself off the chair he was sitting on.

“On what?” Diana asked, closing her book.

“I have to inform the others of the situation concerning the hunters. And hopefully then they will be willing to join in the fight to drive them away.” X explained.

"Ohh, you're actually planning to like… go to war with them?" She rubbed her chin. "How many of you are there?" 

"Well… there's me, Scar, Cub, Grian, Doc, Keralis, Bdubs, Python, Mumbo, Iskall, Stress, False, Cleo, Tango, Impulse, Zedaph, Wels, Jevin, Ren, TFC, Joe…" X counted the names off on his fingers as he said them. "Plus you and Herobrine. That makes 23? Well… knowing TFC, he'll want to stay out out of it, and Doc is out of action… So 23 is a very optimistic number, I'll be predicting 20 at most." Diana was looking evermore worried.

"There's 34 members in the Herobrine Hunters… and some of them are very good fighters." 

"We have good fighters too! Don't worry!" X turned to Herobrine. "Plus this unkillable fellow." Herobrine gulped and looked away. Facing the hunters head on was the opposite of what he'd been planning to do. 

"Would you like to participate in the meeting, Herobrine? We must introduce you to everyone else!" X offered.

Ah yes, meeting a room full of people he didn't know. Sounded like fun.

"No thanks." 

"Great! I'll see you there! I'll go prepare a place now, later!" 

"I said n-" Herobrine did not have time to finish his sentence before Xisuma was out of the door. Scar chuckled from the other room.

"You don't have to, don't worry!" He said. Diana went and sat down beside him, her brows knitted in worry. She opened her journal and flicked through the pages, then proceeded to start reading. Scar looked over her shoulder, curious. Herobrine sighed and left them to themselves, and stepped out of the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *inserts idea of dad-brine into your head* *inserts idea of dad-brine into your head* *inserts idea of dad-brine into your head* *inserts idea of dad-brine in-


	23. The plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things are discussed.

Over the next night and day, Herobrine and Diana worked together to write out every little thing that they knew about the hunters. The stack of papers quickly grew, each one filled with detailed descriptions of weapons, techniques, hunters and equipment. During the time spent writing, both of their communicators pinged, receiving a global message from Xisuma about the meeting, listing the time, place, importance and asking who would be able to attend. Afterwards, the constant beeping from hermits confirming their attendance annoyed them enough to turn the devices off. After a while, there came a knock at the door, and Xisuma let himself in without waiting for an answer.

“Hello! Have you got everything ready?” He asked. Diana pointed to the stack of papers.

“I think we may have over prepared if anything…”

“Can never be too prepared, my friend!” X stepped forward, examining the top sheet.

“The meeting will be starting shortly, would you like to bring those along? You do not have to partake.”

“I will, want to make sure you guys don't misunderstand what I’ve written.” Diana hoisted the stack of papers into her arms. Herobrine shrugged and nodded, then immediately regretted it when he remembered what he was agreeing to.

“Are you sure?” Xisuma asked. Herobrine shook his head quickly.

“I know! I’ll say the word and you only have to pop your head in. Does that sound good? Just to let the others know that this is serious.” That sounded reasonable. Herobrine nodded in agreement and smiled awkwardly.

“So, we going to the place? Please lead the way I don't actually know what you mean by your ‘pillager church’.” Diana said while heading towards the door. She kicked it open and went out, dropping 3 papers as she did so. X followed behind her, collecting the dropped sheets, and Herobrine trailed behind, dreading what he had just agreed to do.

\--

At the meeting place, Diana and Herobrine went into a side room to sort themselves out while Xisuma sent out the message saying the meeting was soon to start. He stood tall as hermits began to appear, each one more curious than the last for what the second important meeting in a short amount of time would entail. Sure enough, even Mumbo was here, pacing back and forth.

“This gon’ be about more Herobrine sightin’s?” came a gruff voice from beside him. X turned to see TFC standing at his shoulder, looking rather miffed to be outside of his vault.

“Because if it is, I’m goin’ home…”

“Ah, more than that, my friend!” X assured him. TFC sighed and went to a secluded corner to wait on the others. It did not take long for the rest to arrive, with Zedaph arriving last.

“Okay X, tell us now, you goin’ ta ask us about Herobrine?” TFC said just before Xisuma opened his mouth to speak.

“Not ask you… introduce you!” X turned to the doorway and called out quietly: “You want to come in, my friend?”

Slowly, a set of fingers wrapped themselves around the doorframe, and a pair of wide blank eyes peeped shyly inside. All eyes in the room turned to look at Herobrine, and the sheer amount of people watching him nearly made his heart stop from fear alone.

“Holy crap… He is real?” came several perplexed mutters from the hermits that hadn’t met him yet.

“I told you guys I was being serious!” Grian spoke out. He went over to the door and held his hand out.

“Come on, dude, we don’t bite. Mostly.” Herobrine slowly stepped into the room, pushing against the wall of stares. He could feel his legs shaking, and they failed, dropping him to the floor. With a squeak, he shuffled back and scrambled out of the door.

“He uh… turns out he has social anxiety.” Grian explained, turning back around. “Maybe don’t stare at him so hard.” Herobrine peeped back in, and several hermits looked away elsewhere, some at the ceiling, others at the floor, others still at each other. He slowly made his way over to a corner and sat down, and Grian went over to sit beside him. Xisuma cleared his throat to try and turn the Hermit's attention back on him.

“Yes, yes, now, with the arrival of this lovely chap here, he unfortunately unwittingly brought a few “friends” along with him…” He did finger quotes as he said the word “friends”.

“That does not sound good…” One of the hermits mumbled.

“It’s really not…” Doc affirmed. It was that moment many of the unknowing took notice of his condition.

“Doc, my dude, you look terrible?” Ren went over and sat down beside the cyborg.

“I’m fine.” Doc rasped, then descended into a fit of coughing. Scar sat down at his other side.

“No you’re not… That thing… has it not worn off yet?” He asked.

“It’s doing so, I’ll be fine, just let me do my thing man…” Cub stood, making the chair he was sitting on tip over backwards.

“Doc, Diana said that those effects should have worn off yesterday.” He exclaimed, his usually calm voice betraying an undertone of worry. 

"Who's Diana?" Ren asked, and Mumbo blushed red and hid his face.

“Whatever man, we got other matters to focus on…” Doc took hold of the arm Scar had around him and shifted it away. “Please, Sizuma, continue…” Xisuma was staring at him, but nodded slowly and continued.

“Those that are after Herobrine here... They are not nice people, in the slightest. They threaten our home in a way nothing has before, and we need to get rid of them. However, this isn’t such a simple process… Observe…” He opened the admin screen from his communicator and expanded it so that everyone could see it.

**<xisumavoid> /ban Flynn_Rightwood**

** _Exception at /ba̲̯̹̫̫n̴̟̦͚ a̾ͬ̍͊̿̏͊͟t͔̤͚̹ͬͥ͗̾ͨͬ ̸͓̘̍͑̒ͯͦͨ̅l̩̪͒ͧi̟̎̅̋n͓͕̝̖̼͖ͣ̏ȅ̢̪̘ ͩ͆͆-̪̯̩̏̎͊͋̉̇̍1̢ͫ̈́̀̔́̈ͯ ̳͖̻̩̯͓̫̋̈̾̈̋̑͗(̵̟͎͖͉̼̈́ͯ̀̄͡E̠̬̟̳̗ͯ̌̈́ͦͩ̑ͤẋ̾ͯ͏͠҉̟̬̞̖͚̝̹̝p̴̻͊̔̍̉̓͢e̮͎̿ͬ̋̍̐̃̚͡͞c̡͈͙̯̣͔͂ͬ̏͆̅͞t̍͛ͬͫ̓͏͈̼̟̙̼̞̼͍̪̕ė̛̼̜̤̫̦͔̯̟͑̅ͨ̔ͦ̓͗d̷̻̯̖̱̮̗͕̐͢ ̪͍͎͓͌̃̈͋ͮ͠#̷̷̦̟̠̺̟̺̝̟̮̈ͨ́̌̆̿(̣̲͓͕͉̣̼̅ͨ̓͋͘͠͞-͉̃ͥ̑̄ͮ͜͢%̶̝̗̺̆ͤ́͋ͥ̽̐£-!£͉ͩ͂ͅ¥͛ͨ͋͂ͩ͏͏͔͖̮¥̶̝͍ͨ̌͝°̇͊͒́̓̄ͯ͏̛̳̦͟π͉͇̫̲̱̑̔ͤ̌͛ͧ̊̎ͨ̕=̜̮̱̆̆̍̓͒ͥ̒͋̉℅̩̩̠ͮͫ̈̇͗͒̒͟¢̵̨͓̬̹̩̩̭͛͆̍=̛ͥͪͨͪ̀̀҉҉͕͕̼͙%©̴̶̦̻͈̟͈̟͎͍̬̓̓̓̓ͬ̍ͧ͠¥̸̨̙̦̬̱͕͍͉̖̈͑̔͢°̷̸͓͑ͥͤ̚̚͟÷̡̧͎̩̞̮̻̹͈̅̿ͦͯ̃ͮ̚•̨̖͙̬̣͚̀̔͛͌̚=̢̛̠̯͔̲͖̤͚͚̽ͩͦ̈́͆͂͠{̂℅̴̫͍̞̯̣̱͖̉ͧ©̭̰͙̲̬̤̈́͊ͣ̒́ͮ̍́͗̕͟;̨̛͖͇̝̿͐ͨ̈̆-̵͉̻̙̜̭ͪ̇̄̊ͣ͠͞£̱̻̠̞̹̮̰̽̓͛ͧ͗̂͊͛͘@-̲̻͖̟̬̜͂ͫ̓ͣ̚͠-̧̘̲̱͋ͨ4̷̮̠͕͕͈̻͙ͧ͐͊̓͑͘&̶ͦ̿̈͏̪̬ͅ:͚͚̼̠̉͑̓̀͆͒ͫ͘͝-̗̮̗ͬͫ+̴̡͍̰̫̯͇̄̌:̢̰͗̓ͪ͗*̷̳͕͑́͊̕%̼͇̤̜̻̠̭ͮͭͧ̈́͌̉]͙̣̟̟̪̙̣̏̔͛ͪ̔͛͐̅[̷̵̯̮͙͍̍ͮ̎̋≯̲̻͚͖̱̂ͦ͑̔̀ͪ͒̆ͅ.̖͕̔̿̌͠.̶̢̹̦͓̻̩̃ͧͧ́́̆̑-®͋$̹̳͍͕̞̺̗͊̆̾͆͠°̏ͩ͒͜҉͍̭̞̙͎͇=͉̤̼̓̍ͩ̔̈́͘{̨̬̪͕͉̬͗ͅ∆̲͂͟͡͞¶̧͔̭̣͙͇̹̹̽̄̋ͫ͂͆¶̱̹͚̺̜͋͑ͦͣ̀̀̑̋ͦ¶̶̏̔͏°̴̨̛̱̲̣͈͉̫̭̻̂ͭͬ͑́$̵̘̗̩̋̍͐ͯͩ̀̍͒͋͞͝¥̴̨̝̠̮͇͔̈͝£=̶̷̄̾̈҉͔̥̹̖̳̘̘ͅ{̹͕̯ͫͤ^̥̻̞͎̼̻͚̖̩̎ͤ́͋͝[̏͒ͩ̈͛̔҉͇̤]͌̓҉͕̟̟̞͎̝̮̤}̵̎ͫ̾̅ͫͬ҉̺̟̘̟̲̩͖̹͈}[̩̗̫̞̝͍̖̭̳̓̓̊ͫ℅̬̲͉͉͓͇̹̬̯̃͛̄̃ͦ̚•̴̫ͭͯ̊ͨ̚̚•̶̄͋͆ͯ͟•̃҉̮•̬̮ͯ̂̀͟•̘̭͓̥̯̟͊̎̌ͩ̈́•̗̼̘͔̊ͬͭ̈́̃̓ͫ͂}̯̪̤͍͔̩̦͉ͭͬͪͧͯ̀ͪ}̡̻̹̳͚̝͙̦̈̊̚͟}ͤͤ̈̆ͫ̊̃͛͏̩̞͚̗̤͝}̺̳ͬͭ̋ͭ͂̈̋̾͢͞)̨ͯͬͩͤͭ̌̌_ **

  
  


“Wait, what on earth?” Mumbo exclaimed among other worried statements. Tango raised his hand to speak.

“So, you’re saying, Herobrine here came to us, and behind him followed these guys who are after him and are now threatening the very fabric of reality? And you can't ban them… Wait, why can’t Herobrine just leave? Or we give him over to th-” He was immediately shut down by several people shouting at once.

“What the hell, that’s horrible!”

“We can’t just do that!”

“Herri is nice! He only wants to be friends!”

“Yeah! We can't betray him!”

“We’ve had enough issues trying to convince him to _ not _ do that…”

“I admit… I’d really have this guy around than those others… Even with how we first met each other...”

Tango was leaning back slightly, not expecting the barrage of disagreement. He looked over to where Herobrine was sitting in the corner, and found he had hidden his head under his arms and Grian was holding onto him tightly, glaring at Tango as he did so.

“Okay, alright, so I am taking that as a resounding ''no”. So what do we do?” Xisuma fixed him with a hard stare.

“We fight them off.” The room fell silent.

“The way I see it, the only way to get rid of them is to show them we mean business, and will not hesitate to defend our home.” He continued. “Which is why I called you all here. They are strong, well armed and extremely prone to using whatever dirty tricks there are to come out on top. So we need to be too. Who here is willing to join such a fight?”

"Before we agree, what sort of dirty tricks?" False asked with her arms crossed.

It was that moment Diana strode into the room and slapped a pile of papers on the table. Several Hermits recoiled, with some pulling out swords and pointing them at her. 

"Relax, guys, she's on our side." Doc said. "That's Diana. Go on then…"

"Mighty concerning that the effects of the _ Flora parasita _ haven't worn off yet…" Diana noted. 

"I'll deal with it." Doc answered. "Back to the matters at hand, man…"

"Right." Diana distributed the papers out between the Hermits. "Pass these around, take it in." They obliged, with the whispers of speculation building as time went on.

"Wither rose thorns in sword blades?"

"Sleep potion tipped arrows?"

"The thorns can detach and continuously inflict wither?"

"Supercondensed potions?"

"Adamandium-iron alloy armour? What’s Adamandium?"

"Wait, that's _ bedrock? _"

"Overwhelm formation?" 

“They have BEDROCK ARMOUR?”

The level of concern in the room rose ever higher the deeper they went into the lists.

"These guys, we gotta get them off the map." Bdubs piped in. "They will stop at nothin' to get what they want, but we won't let them! Who's with me?"

The Hermits looked between one another awkwardly. Bdubs raised an eyebrow, then proceeded to rip off his shirt, revealing several belts that all had holstered blades attached to them. He flung the shirt to the floor and tied a red bandana around his head, then shouted again "I said, who's with me?!"

"Heck yeah, that's more like it!" Doc exclaimed, raising his fist in solidarity. Iskall copied with a wide grin on his face, and surely enough, more Hermits raised their hand, pledging themselves to the fight for their home. 

"I just want to say right now, it's totally fine if you don't want to fight. I know some of us aren't good at pvp, so we won't be angry if you decide to not participate." Xisuma explained.

"Jus' cause I don' want to fight doesn't mean I don' want to help elsewhere." TFC rumbled from his corner.

"I-I think I can help with some redstoning things. Like traps, or-or equipping stations…" Mumbo stammered, already with a notebook out and writing things down. 

"We want wolves?" Stress asked. "I can get us wolves!" She bounced excitedly in her chair. X was blinking around in surprise.

“All of us?” He asked. “We are all in?” There was a clamour of agreement from around the room.

“So the plan is to charge in, guns blazing?” Grian asked. X shook his head.

“No, that won’t work. We have to build a strategy which plays to everyone’s strengths and covers for their weaknesses. And we also have to learn about what the hunters have from these papers that Diana has lovingly written for us.”

“I’ve inflicted Carpal Tunnel on myself to help you guys.” She piped in, shaking her hand as if it was hurting. “If you have any questions just ask.”

Jevin raised his hand.

“Yes, slimey?”

“Yeah, uh, how are we going to hurt them when they have Bedrock Armour?” He asked.

“It’s not straight bedrock, it’s an alloy between that and Iron, making it extra tough, tougher than diamond even…” Diana explained.

“That didn’t answer my question.” Jevin said.

“Oh, right, uh, lightning weakens the bonds between Iron and Bedrock. I heard you guys can control lightning, so some of us will have to be dedicated trident throwers.” She added. Jevin leaned back, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

“Basically anything with a high amount of electrical energy. Charged creepers could also work.” She finished.

“Did I just hear Creeper Cannon?” Doc asked.

“You just heard Creeper Cannon.” Impulse confirmed.

“I don’t want to ask what a creeper cannon is.” Diana grimaced, looking rather concerned. Xisuma turned away and back to the hermits.

“If we are all willing to participate, we must figure out what role each of us will have.” He stated.

“Definitely traps, I am no fighter.” Mumbo quickly cut in. Several others spoke out, saying they would like to help Mumbo out.

“Alright, so which of you are willing to fight on the front line?” X went on to ask them all. Several of them raised their hand.

“Doc put your hand down.”

“I want to fight.” The cyborg protested.

“Not in your state.” Xisuma adamantly reaffirmed.

“I said I want to fight!”

“Listen, you’re going to be staying with Mumbo behind the fight. You can help out with the traps and weapons.” X crossed his arms. Doc sighed in disappointment.

“Plus if any of the hunters break through, Mumbo will need someone to protect him.” He added.

“Hey, I can protect myself!” Mumbo exclaimed.

“Mumbo will need someone to protect him.” Xisuma repeated. Doc rolled his eye.

“Alright, fine… just saying, there aren’t any better trident wielders...” He sat back and crossed his arms. “Also if Mumbo and I are going to do traps, we need a new dedicated battleground. And when one side isn’t compliant, how are we going to make sure they stick to it?”

“Remember when they attacked Hermitland? I led them into the Hide and Seek game and they mostly stayed contained in there right? So just a simple walled off area could work.” Grian suggested.

“Also, I might take this time to tell you that I found the site where the hunters were staying… but they are now moving closer to us. I think they are also planning something…” Cub said.

“Which direction are they coming from?” Xisuma asked. 

“The east. If they go straight they’ll bust straight into area 77.”

“Because of course they are…” Scar sighed. “But that is a closed off area… a rather large one though.”

“Nothing stopping us from building a smaller closed off area in the larger closed off area.” Grian grinned. “When the hippies were flower powering the place, there was a huge open field there. Have you guys built anything on it since?”

“I was planning to build a big infinity farm there… But I can hold off on that for now.” Doc told him. “Plus there’s now the big HIB base.”

“So there’s still a large open area. If I can build a wall into there, we can trap the hunters in there and fight them without damaging the rest of Hermitville.” Scar stroked his chin as he spoke.

“We should grab some maps of the area… Cub?”

“On it.” Cub left the room and some fireworks were heard outside. 

“If you need lightning to fight, I'm sure I can assist in such an endeavour. I think the nether stars will have to be supplied, however.” Joe suddenly exclaimed. Diana raised an eyebrow at the rhyme.

“If you can, that would be helpful.” She shrugged. "Can't help but feel you're trying to stay out of the danger though."

"I can neither confirm nor deny that is the case." Joe answered. "It would be better that one less PvP able would take the position at the rain shrine though. That way I remain in a safe position whilst also providing aid to my fellow hermits on the battlefield. The way I see it, it's a win win."

"Can't argue." Diana chuckled. "Wasn't going to anyway. Can't force someone to fight if they don't want to."

"You can force someone to _not_ fight though, apparently." Doc's grumpy voice sounded from his slumped over position.

"Yeah but that's just common sense." Xisuma cut in with his hands in his hips. At that moment, Cub reappeared, maps in hand, and spread them onto the table.

"Area 77, correct? Here we are."

With the location of attack agreed and maps acquired, the table was quickly turned into a mini war map, with each hermit contributing items to represent themselves and other objects. A small fence of pencils was circling the staked out area, and Mumbo was deep in formulating a plan to trap the place with the other redstone Hermits. Each one was pitching in ideas, and even a few others had things to say.

Doc had quickly calculated where to build an effective creeper cannon, and was sketching out ideas on the back of one of Diana’s papers. Impulse and Cub had figured out an easy pitfall trap, and were placing them strategically around the battlefield. Meanwhile, the less redstone inclined were working out the roles that each of them could take. 

“With the threat of the wither weapons, we will need someone who will be able to absorb attacks so we don't get overwhelmed with it.” False explained while moving the items that corresponded to her and the other Front line fighters to the head of the small pile.

“I’m no good when it comes to fighting… I can be a shield though.” Scar offered. False nodded to him with a smile.

“I’ll be best at that too.” Cub agreed. “We can also provide supplies.”

“That’s great, Cub!” False beamed. “And you too?” Impulse lowered his hand while nodding.

“Y’know what?” TFC suddenly said from his corner. “I’ll be a shield too. And I can get us all stuff.” Several hermits turned to the one true hermit in shock.

“You sure?” Xisuma asked. TFC nodded adamantly.

“I can’t jus’ sit by and watch y’all risk life and limb and not do anythin’” He gave a warm grin to the room. “So I’m in.”

“Great!” False clapped her hands together.

“You need trident throwers too…” Diana interjected.

“Ah, of course… any volunteers?” Grian and Keralis raised their hands in unison, with Ren and Cleo following just afterwards.

“Great! I’d recommend all of us have a trident just in case though, if all of our smiters go down we’ll still be able to break their armour.” X advised. There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

“What about the rest of us? Do we just fight whoever gets past the front?” Tango asked.

“That’s the plan.” X confirmed.

“Alright.”

“Okay, we all know our places in the fight?” False questioned. Everyone agreed and nodded.

“Good, Good, now- huh?” Xisuma was cut off mid sentence by Herobrine approaching the table. He went into his pocket and fished out a metal object, and placed it down in front of the items that represented the front line fighters.

“Hero? You want to be at the front?” Grian asked. He shook his head, then took hold of some of the items that had been assigned to as a hunter. Then, he pointed between them and the metal object, and moved the hunter items over towards it.

“Uhh… can you just.. write it?” Mumbo suggested. Herobrine sighed and did so.

_ ‘I can help with getting them corralled into the area. When they see me, it is very likely that they will rush straight for me. If I stand at the front in plain view, they’ll come for me, and I can lead them right into you.’ _He lifted his quill off the paper for a moment, then added:

_ ‘As long as you protect me.’ _

“Ahh... very brave of you, my friend!” X told him with a grin. “We’ll promise that we’ll protect you as soon as they begin to charge.” Herobrine gulped and nodded, giving him a weak smile.

"With that, is there anything else we need to discuss?" X turned back to the rest of the Hermits. Heads were shaken around the room.

"Okay! Meeting dismissed! Good luck everybody."

With the meeting over, the Hermits all spread out, planning in between one another which person should gather what in order to help. Xisuma stepped in next to Herobrine as he was watching them leave.

“You see? We all want to help” He said, wrapping an arm around Herobrine’s shoulder. The action earned him a smile, then a yawn.

“Tired?” He asked. Herobrine nodded.

“Awake all night… getting those papers done…” He admitted. “Sleepy…”

“Oh no, you should not exhaust yourself!” X scolded him. Herobrine looked X in the eye.

“Neither should you.” Xisuma took a step back, slightly freaked out, then looked down guiltily.

“I guess you’re right.” He admitted with a sigh. “We both need sleep...”

\--

It was a couple of hours later when Grian found them both in the corner, leaning against one another back to back and fast asleep. He sighed into the palm of his hand, and went forward to wake them. Then he stopped halfway forward and backed away again, deciding against it. It was way too cute of a scene to disturb. Instead, He turned around and carefully tiptoed out, shutting the door softly behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you look on Bdub's skin on namemc, it's definitely different from what you'd expect. I find it to be a hilarious thought to just assume he's got all those knives under his shirt.
> 
> https://namemc.com/profile/BdoubleO100.1
> 
> That is a guy who is ready to FIGHT.


	24. Clash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the battle begins

Over the next few days, the village was a blur of activity. Scar, Grian and Ren had taken on the task of constructing a sturdy boundary to funnel the hunters into, and Grian had insisted on using TNT to blast a gap in the outer fence. As they were working, Impulse, X and Doc installed pitfalls around the area under the guidance of Mumbo. Even off the battlefield, Hermits were busy. Most of them were out gathering tools and armour, with Cub overseeing and managing the operation.

A few had other tasks on their minds, such as Stress who was often out in the woods, taming as many wolves as she could find. There was a brief period of uncertainty when she brought a large number of them over and they immediately started chasing poor Herobrine, but she quickly managed to get them under control. 

Everyone lost track of time with them being so busy, and it was almost too soon when everything was almost ready. However, too soon quickly turned into just in time when Cub reported that the hunters had almost reached Area 77. At the sound of the alarm, each person equipped their respective gear and headed to the battlefield. 

\--

As the Hermits grouped into formation at the edge of the field, 3 of them broke away and went forward, with Xisuma following a short way behind. Grian, Keralis and Cub were dusting off their wings and preparing to launch into the air.

“Be careful, okay?” Xisuma told them. Keralis saluted while Grian gave him a nervous grin.

“Go in, grab their attention, get out.” He stated. Xisuma nodded, and the skin around his eyes wrinkled as he gave them a smile.

“Good luck my friends.” He turned away and headed back to the rest of the group. The three looked at each other nervously, then nodded to each other reassuringly.

“We going now?” Keralis whispered. Cub looked behind him and spotted X giving him a thumbs up.

“Yep, we going now.” Grian jumped out at took off, weaving into the woods. Cub and Keralis followed closely behind, taking to flying just above the trees as to not crash into any trunks. After a minute of flying, Grian shouted something from below, and he emerged from the trees, flying over them. Keralis spotted an arrow sticking out of his chest.

“Is that a sleep arrow?” He asked nervously. Cub got his crossbow out and shot a few arrows into the trees. The response was a wave of returning arrows bursting out of the canopy, making the three weave around to dodge the projectiles. Cub turned and went back towards area 77, circling down and landing in a small clearing. He ducked into a dip in the ground as Keralis and Grian landed beside him.

“To answer your question, I don’t think it is… Look, if I do fall asleep, just kill me and grab my stuff.” Grian gasped, sitting down heavily. 

“If it was, It should have taken effect by now.” Cub explained. He peered over the top of the dip and spotted something moving in the trees.

“They’re coming.” He reported, shooting his crossbow at them. Grian cringed and got to his feet, preparing to take off again. Keralis followed after him, with Cub taking the final spot, keeping the stream of arrows going as he went. Human shapes burst through the treeline, pursuing them with weapons raised.

“Brian, you must get back to the others, you are hurt!” Keralis told the wounded hermit. Grian simply grunted and lit another firework, then zoomed ahead, dipping into the trees.

Back at the battlefield, Herobrine was waiting nervously, wringing his hands together so tightly that the skin was turning white. Xisuma’s presence just behind him was the only thing grounding him at that moment, and the admin definitely noticed just how much his legs were shaking. Behind them both, the sound of weaponry being prepared and the soft growling of several wolves was not helping his nerves any. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to slow the frantic beating of his heart.

“Grian?” Xisuma exclaimed. Herobrine opened his eyes to see the mentioned hermit speeding towards him. His expression was contorted into one of terror, and Herobrine spotted an arrow sticking out of his chest. He skidded to a stop behind Xisuma, who stood protectively in front of him.

“Are they coming?” He asked.

“Y-yes… The others are c-coming.” Grian confirmed shakily. True to his word, Keralis and Cub emerged over the trees. They landed heavily and took their places in the group, swapping their elytras out for chestplates while Grian was being ushered to the back of the group.

“Hunters incoming!” Cub shouted, and on cue several figures burst from the treeline. Herobrine went stiff, and X appeared right beside him, sword raised towards them.

“Be ready to move.” He whispered. Herobrine gulped and nodded.

As predicted, they stopped, pointed to Herobrine, and immediately charged. Behind the first few, more emerged from the shadows, and soon a large number of them were running towards the Hermits.

“Okay Hero! Get to the back!” False called out, jumping in front of him with her sword out. Herobrine ripped his feet from the ground, spun around and ran, weaving inbetween charging hermits and dogs, throwing himself through the gap in the wall and sliding to a stop on the floor at Doc’s feet. The cyborg looked down with a raised eyebrow and noted how Herobrine was practically hyperventilating. Mumbo crouched down beside him.

“You good?” He waited a moment, then after no reply, sat down on the grass.

“Has he fainted?” Doc asked.

“Just give him a moment…” Mumbo told him. After a minute, Herobrine rolled over, still breathing hard but seemingly a bit calmer.

“Traps?” He gasped out. Mumbo jumped to his feet.

“Of course!” He and Doc ran to the panel of levers and buttons, and began peer out through gaps in the wall to watch the fight.

Far above, lightning flashed between the clouds, and raindrops began to fall. The water slid off of Grian’s helmet and dripped onto his hands, which were clasped tightly around his trident. The injury where he’d been hit by the arrow still ached, and he forced himself to ignore it as he locked his eyes on the advancing hunters. After taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, he pulled his arm back, locked onto a single hunter, and let the trident loose. 

The weapon thudded into the hunter, making him stumble slightly. He grabbed the handle and pulled it out of his armour with a sneer. 

“Good try kid.” He growled, drawing his own arm back to return the throw. Unfortunately for him, the damage was already done. A blinding flash of white electrical energy arched down from the sky and struck him down. The trident flew back into Grian’s hand and he clasped his fingers closed around it, then stumbled as a wolf eagerly brushed past and lunged at the hunter.

Meanwhile Xisuma charged forward and brought his sword down on the downed hunter hard. The diamond blade dug into the iron and several cracks spread out over the chestplate. The hunter scrambled away, and the armour cracked in half and dropped to the ground. At the sight of this, he got to his feet and fled. A wolf chased him for a moment, but stopped and turned around after a few paces, and ran back into the fray.

“Seems many of them are solely relying on their armour!” False called out. “Keep striking!”

X watched the fleeing hunter for a moment, then turned his head to peer out over the rest of the hunters, searching for a particular face. His search did not last long however; two more of them bore down on him. He brought his sword out and diamond clashed against diamond, the force of two against one bringing the shadowy blades unnervingly close to his throat. The sky flashed and the sound of lightning striking something nearby made one of the hunters flinch. 

“Sahwhammy!!” Came a panicked cry, and Keralis leapt into view, half throwing half stabbing the trident into one of the hunters. More lightning arched down from the sky and struck both of them, sending one packing into the crowd. Iskall leapt in and striked the remaining hunter hard across the shoulders, splitting his armour in two. The hunter skittered away, the look on his face one of terror.

“Please, please, no no no please, let me live please no please!” Xisuma lowered his sword slightly. At the sight of this, the hunter sprinted away, vanishing out of the battlefield into the trees.

“Should we be letting them go?” Iskall questioned.

“I-” Xisuma’s answer was cut short by a shadowy blue blade appearing through his chest.

“Second time’s the charm?” The hunter who had previously disappeared into the crowd was stood behind him, grinning wildly.

“Not today!” X coughed, quickly grabbing a Totem off his belt.

“Oh come on!” The hunter cried out, seeing the green particles explode everywhere. Xisuma spun around and gave the hunter a solid kick, sending him stumbling to the floor. Iskall advanced towards him, his sword raised and two wolves with their teeth bared at his side.

“Screw this…” The hunter spat, getting to his feet and backing away. Iskall watched him go until he’d reached the wall and sat down.

“Do we count that?” He asked.

“As long as he doesn't come back?” X answered bemusedly before turning back to the fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of cyan and looked over to see Herobrine running across the area. What was he doing out in the open?

“None of them are going near any of the traps…” Doc growled. “Should I launch the creepers?”

“Have you not already done that?” Mumbo asked exasperatedly. “Go do it!”

Diana suddenly appeared beside him, out of breath and gripping a shulker box tightly.

“Medic here!” She gasped, dropping the box. Doc flicked a few levers, and a faint explosion was heard a few seconds later.

“Creepers in orbit.” He reported.

“Menacing…” Diana mumbled. “How are the traps working out?”

“Bad. very bad.” Mumbo said, looking out over the battlefield again. “None of them go anywhere near them…” He sat back, looking disappointed. Herobrine was sat with his back against the wall, looking between the three one after the other. He sighed when he saw the expression Mumbo was wearing and got to his feet.

“Huh? Where you goi-” All three stared in shock as Herobrine stepped out onto the battlefield and took off running.

_ Bad idea bad idea bad idea _ was all Herobrine could think to himself as he ran. As he expected, 3 hunters instantly broke away and started to chase him.

_ To the traps. To the traps. _

He turned and ran towards where one of the pitfalls was hidden, deftly dodging around it and slowing. He flashed a look to where Mumbo was peering out from his hiding place, and he vanished for a moment. There was the firing of pistons and a yelp, and a hunter fell into the pit. He took off running again, leading the remaining two to the next pitfall. He was preparing to slow down again when something slammed into him from behind. He lay there pinned under the hunter as the other one circled them.

"Well, hello there!" He grinned down at Herobrine. Then the ground vanished. All three fell down and landed heavily in the obsidian lined pit. Herobrine used the shock as a moment to wriggle free of the hunter's grip. He jumped and scrabbled at the smooth side of the hole, feeling the panic rising within him as his hands slid off the glassy rock, then turned around to face the hunters that were trapped with him. They were coming closer, grinning viciously and one of them was brandishing a dagger. He lunged forward and plunged it deep into Herobrine’s chest, making him cry out. His legs failed him and he dropped to the floor, pressing his back against the wall as hard as he could.

“Hero! Oh crap!” A trident suddenly flew down and embedded itself in the obsidian between Herobrine and the hunters. 

“Hey, here!” He looked in the direction of the shout to see Doc leaning over the edge with his metal arm outstretched towards him. Herobrine jumped and grabbed his hand, and Doc pulled him out of the hole.

“Are you crazy man? Get back to the shelter!” He shouted while catching his trident out of the air. Herobrine cringed away and complied, running back behind the sturdy wall. He sat down and looked at Mumbo and Diana, who were both staring at him.

“You uh… have a little something in your…” Diana pointed to her chest. Herobrine simply grabbed the dagger and tugged it out, splattering a trail of blood on the grass. Diana winced and opened the shulker box.

“Hold still…” She muttered, pulling out a bandage. As she was applying pressure to the wound, he looked over to Mumbo who was watching the battle.

“Going good?”

“Yes... Uhm… thanks for getting some hunters in the traps I guess? Please don't do that again.” The moustached hermit smiled awkwardly at him. 

“I don't think my heart could take it…” Diana chuckled slightly.

“You should have seen Doc’s face!” As if the saying of his name had summoned him, Doc appeared through the wall. He turned to Herobrine, then brought his organic fist down softly on Herobrine’s head.

“Don’t do that again.” He grumbled, then he went and sat down.

“You good?” Diana asked. “Out of breath a bit there.”

“I’m fine.” Doc replied with a stifled cough. Diana sighed and turned back to Herobrine. She took the bandage away, then got a clean one out to dress the wound. 

Mumbo flicked another lever, then bit back a curse.

“Missed.” He bopped his head against the wall in frustration. “Now they’ll know it’s there…”

“No… they’re kind of stupid… hence why I’m alive…” Herobrine grinned weakly, hoping to dispel some of the tension that was in the air. Doc snorted slightly in amusement, but Mumbo burst out laughing in a slightly mad manner.

“Oh man, I think I’m losing my marbles…” He chuckled, his head still leaned firmly against the wall.

“Trust me Mumbo, you haven't had any for ages…” Doc commented with a slight smile. Mumbo let out another laugh.

“Guess you’re right there.” Herobrine also felt himself smiling from the shared amusement of the hermits.

For that moment, it felt that everything would be okay.


	25. Smash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which losses are taken but gains are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! Made some boo boos in uploading this chapter so had to delete and quickly redo it. Everything should be good now.

Grian threw the trident once again, and it stuck into a wooden shield that a hunter was holding. It shifted and tore out of the wood and flew back to his hands.

“They’re getting smart to it… Is Ren on trident duty?” He shouted over his shoulder, blocking a strike with his weapon.

“He is now, I think he heard you. Oh! Cleo’s got hers out too.” False reported back from behind him as more lightning crashed down onto more hunters.

“Alright, little help?” Grian spun away as False turned around and blocked another blow, then started returning them. As she was busy, Grian looked around and saw Xisuma heading to the back of the crowd. TFC emerged from the fray and stood in front of him with a sheild out, and just in time as several arrows thudded into the thick wood.

“Are we doing well?” He asked to no one in particular.

“No. We're not!” Came a voice, and Grian gasped as he felt a blade get jammed into his body. His last thought before fading was _ Dammit I knew I should have gotten a chestplate… _

Xisuma attached three more totems to his belt and nodded to TFC.

“Thank you!”

“Anytime… Shame Grian din’t have one of those…” The Hermit replied. X turned around and saw the form of Grian vanish into a puff of smoke. Discounting his close call, that would have been their first death. He gritted his teeth together, preparing to attack the hunter, but stopped when three wolves jumped on them. The hunter spun around with Grian’s trident in hand, fighting off the attacking dogs while crying out in panic. Then he proceeded to lob it at a random hermit, which happened to be Tango. X cringed as the lightning struck him down, and also hit Impulse and Stress who were close by.

“Guess I’ll be needed. Good luck!” TFC exclaimed while lifting his shield and going over to the scene. X watched him go, and focused on the hunter who seemed to more be looking of a way out of the fight than attacking. It seemed that their enemy wasn't as tough as they seemed, since many of them were fleeing at the first chance they got. 

Best to keep fighting.

Ren noticed the trident hovering in the air after hitting Tango and grabbed hold of it. The weapon suddenly flew back towards the hunter that had thrown it, and Ren readied his sword when he saw his destination. Unfortunately, the hunter did the same, and both blades impaled the other person. Ren gasped in shock as he flopped to the floor, and the hunter cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Iskall quickly ran over and grabbed both tridents before any other hunters could get funny ideas.

“Hey Iskall, pass me one of those!” Came the voice of Tango. Iskall turned around in surprise.

“I thought you got hit by lightning?” He asked while holding a trident out.

“Pah, that’s nothing!” Tango grinned back, taking the weapon and attacking another hunter. She tried her best to defend herself from the lightning-charged attack, but was soon fleeing.

“Keep going! We’re doing good!” He shouted, pointing to two more hunters running away from the fight.

“They seem pretty cowardly of all things…” Iskall noted while blocking another strike and kicking the hunter back. She stumbled down into a pile of wolves.

“Nice for us! I’ll finish off this one.” Jevin exclaimed from behind him, running towards the hunter that Ren had stabbed. 

“Maybe go for someone else? That guy’s not a threat…” Tango mumbled. 

Unfortunately, Jevin would not get the chance to go after anyone.

He was suddenly lifted off the ground, impaled on the blade of heavily armoured hunter. She lowered her sword, letting the slime man slide off and flop to the ground, then fixed her gaze on Tango.

“Where’d she come from?” Tango gasped, then let out a scream as she was suddenly right in front of him, sword raised. Iskall dove forward to protect his fellow hermit, but False had gotten there first.

“Guys, get back, I got this one!” She called out, and Tango wasted no time in heeding her advice.

“You got this one? You sure about that?” The hunter jeered back, her eyes gleaming with confidence.

“Oh it’s on.” False grimaced back. 

Iskall quickly backed away. Getting in between False and an enemy was not high on his list of things to do today, besides, he had other hunters to fight. So far he'd seen a fair few hunters run away form the fight, and the only casulties they'd tasken were Grian, Ren and Jevin.

“Iskaaaaaall!” came a cry from above.

Speaking of Grian. He looked to the sky to see his fellow Architech speeding towards him.

“Ja?”

“Trident?” Grian shouted. Iskall nodded and held the weapon aloft, and Grian snatched it out of his hands and pulled a tight u-turn in mid air, then fired a rocket to speed back higher. From his high vantage point, he turned back around and started throwing the trident back down into the unknowing hunters. Iskall tore his eyes away from the sight and turned back, looking around to see if any of his fellow hermits were in trouble and needing help. He spied Xisuma back to back with Bdubs and Wels, with Keralis off to the side providing lightning support. The 4 hunters attacking them started faltering and fleeing one by one as he turned away, satisfied that they had the situation covered.

Instead, his searching eyes fell on Stress, and he noticed that she looked hurt. At that moment he realized that all the wolves had stopped attacking with as much vigor, and were instead wandering around, confused without the commands of their master. Iskall began to run over to her, blocking several blows from hunters as he passed them.

“Stress? You hurt?” He asked her, quickly taking a position that shielded her from the enemy.

“Lightning.” She answered quietly. Several wolves gathered protectively around her as she spoke.

“Do you need to get some first aid?” Iskall suggested. Stress simply nodded. It seemed that enduring the brunt of a lightning bolt had taken a lot out of her. He looked over to where Mumbo and Doc would be hiding, and recalled Diana saying she would be there with medical supplies. That was when he spotted TFC in a similar position to himself, shielding Impulse. The Hermit looked over to him, then beckoned them over.

“I’ll be taking the injured to see the doctor, you comin’?” He asked. Stress smiled at him and went over, Iskall trailing behind and keeping an eye out for any attackers.

“It’s okay, I’m good to go.” Impulse said. “I don’t think Zedaph is good though.” He pointed to the blond haired man, who was running over to them.

“They stuck me with a thorn!” Zedaph gasped indignantly. There were several lines of red running down his armour, and a few of them were disintegrating into black.

“Alright. TFC, take Zed and Stress to get healed, me and Iskall will hold the line. Also heads up there’s enemies coming.” Iskall spun around and spotted the advancing hunters.

“Go, now!” He shouted, drawing his sword and preparing to fight. Impulse grabbed his shield and stood beside him, ready to receive any incoming attack. Suddenly, the ground vanished underneath two of the hunters, making them fall. The rest stumbled around the hole, only pausing momentarily then continuing forward.

“Oh crap I forgot about the traps!” Impulse exclaimed while blocking a sword. “What if they catch us?”

“Mumbo’s only triggering them when they’re in place.” Iskall explained. “We should be fin- incoming creeper!” 

Sure enough, a creeper with electrical energy sparking around it was slowly floating down, it’s eyes locked on them. It's legs flailed out wildly as it tried to stalk towards them, and one of the hunters stood back, staring at it in confusion. It landed softly on the grass, and turned to Impulse. The spines in it's back stood on end as a hiss escalated from it's mouth, and the rest of the shaggy moss bristled with the incoming detonation.

“Wrong person, buddy!” Impulse chuckled, using his shield to ram the creeper into the hunters. They shouted in surprise as it exploded, bathing them in sparks and cracking their armour.

“Alright! Good job! Let’s take them down!”

\--

Diana looked out and saw three hermits heading towards them. 

“You guys need help?” She called out. TFC pointed to the other two.

“These ‘uns do.” He replied, guiding them into the safe area.

“Okay, where you hurt?” She asked Zedaph. He unclipped his damaged chestplate and pointed to the tear underneath.

“I think I got a bit of a thorn in my side.” He told her.

“Oh boy…” Diana sighed, then grabbed a pair of shears from the shulker box. “Hold still…”

As Diana got to work de-thorning Zedaph, TFC turned to Doc.

“I’ll get back to the fight. Take care!” He smiled warmly at them, then turned and disappeared. Mumbo let out a sudden triumphant yell as he pulled a lever.

“Three in one! Sweet! Wait are those- oh no.” He backed away from the wall. “Slight issue?”

“On wha-” Doc was cut off as two hunters leapt in through the gap.

“That is not a slight issue!” He shouted, quickly lobbing his trident at them. Stress flinched away as the lightning struck down on them.

“Oi! Give a li’il warning next time you do that!” She exclaimed. “Also, go get em wolves!” At her command, the wolves rushed forward and attacked the hunters, grabbing their armour and ripping it to shreds.

“Hey, no, bad dog, bad dog!” One of them shouted in panic, scrambling away from the slavering jaws of the dogs, and the other had covered his head and was curled into a quivering pile on the ground. 

“Good doggies!” Iskall suddenly called while running past. Tango was following just behind him with a scowl on his face. They disappeared out through the wall. Diana watched them go, then turned to Stress.

“Okay, Zed should be good in a few, where are you hurt then, pretty?” She asked.

“I got hit by a lightnin’ bolt!” Stress answered. “Bit frazzled…”

“Oki doki.” Diana dove into the box and pulled out some potions. “These should help. The dogs doing the trick?” Stress looked over to where the three wolves were gathered around the hunters that had surprised them, trapping them against the wall.

“They seem to be doin’ alright. In fact, that’s actually a pretty good use for them right there!” She took the potions and downed them, then got to her feet while grinning.

“Alright, Fanks! Stay there Doggies, keep them down!” She flashed one last smile at them, then left to rejoin the battle. Zedaph had recovered as well.

“Thank you as well! I’ll try to not get incapitated by a flower again.” He told them as he passed by.

“Flowers are pretty deadly you know.” Diana shot back with a grin. Zedaph simply laughed, and with his departure, only Mumbo, Doc and Diana were left behind along with some wolves and two cowering hunters.

“Wait, Where’d Hero go?” Diana asked. Mumbo looked aroung, then groaned.

"I TOLD him not to go out again!!"

\--

The sword grazed over top of Harpy's helmet as she ducked under the attack. By now she was very much considering eating her words, as the lady she was locked in combat with was exceptionally skilled. Turns out she did indeed have this one. Now Harpy was looking around, trying to find any way to end the fight early. She still had to get an injured comrade out of danger after all. That was when she spotted Forrest standing around in the midst of the chaos.

“Hey! Forrest! A little help here?” Harpy called out to the loitering recruit. He jumped and spun around, meeting Harpy’s glare, then skittered forward and attacked the lady from behind, and she turned around to parry him. With her distracted, Harpy could step back and focus on other tasks. Like getting Quentin out of the fight.

She ran over to the injured man and kneeled down beside him.

“Okay, stay with me here…” She told him as she hooked her arms under his shoulders. Slowly, she began to drag him away to a patch of long grass by the nearby wall. He groaned quietly as she laid him against the wall and unclipped the remains of his chestplate, revealing the deep wound underneath.

“I didn’t think these guys would fight back!” came an indignant voice from beside her. Harpy looked around to see Brad, Ralph and Sheila gathered around her and Quentin, the latter two of which also had broken armour. 

“I mean, it was kind of stupid to assume they wouldn’t defend themselves…” Sheila said, looking at Brad. She suddenly shuddered and wrapped her arms around her knees.

“That red eye one’s scary…”

“Focus on the more important matters for now, any of you guys got a cloth or something?” Harpy asked them. Ralph studied her face for a short moment, then nodded and unwound his ragged scarf from his neck and handed it to Harpy. Harpy wrapped it tightly around Quentin in an attempt to stem the blood flowing from his wound. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Ralph, who pointed to Quentin then made a few signs.

_ I Can Do This _

“You sure Laddie?” The boy nodded and smiled. Harpy shuffled back to them him take over, and looked back out to where the fight was happening. Something blue caught his attention, and she spotted a familiar gelatinous face approaching them.

“What th- hold the fort here guys. I gotta keep fighting.” She got to her feet and went forward to engage the slime. He ran towards her, yelling something about revenge, but a single clean swipe ended that in an instant.

“I swear I already killed that guy…” She murmured to herself. Her eyes strayed to the one who was flying through the air, continuously throwing a trident down into the crowd.

“Wait… Quentin definitely killed that guy!” She paused for a moment, trying to grasp how multiple identical people were taking part in the fight.

Unless they were the same person, back from the dead.

A trident flew towards her, and she batted it away with her sword and looked to who threw it. It was a man with a thick pair of sunglasses and a beard. One that Quentin had also _ definitely _ killed, and was subsequently also almost killed by. Any other time she would be quick to take revenge on someone for hurting one of her family, but her mind was too full of other horrifying realizations.

The one who had called himself the ‘Admin’ was not the only one who could cheat death. _ All of these people could. _ This attack was suicide.

“FLYNN!” Harpy yelled, trying to get the leader’s attention. The man paid no heed, too absorbed in trying to rally a protective barrier of troops around him, like usual. As she watched, three hunters that had previously abandoned fighting ran back in to join the wall, and the appearance of their boss seemed to have a positive effect on the morale of rest. Not that any of it mattered; they would all eventually be slaughtered anyway. Determined to not let that happen, Harpy ran forward, weaving in and out of thrown weapons. She had to get Flynn to call off the attack. It would not be easy to convince him, but she had no other choice. As she approached the middle, she noticed Forrest was part of Flynn’s protective wall.

“Hey, Forrest, move aside I need to get to Flynn.” She ordered him.

“Anything for you, lovely~” He drawled. Harpy just rolled her eyes and pushed him aside to reach the leader.

“Flynn! You gotta order a retreat!” Flynn turned slowly to look at her, his expression one of fury.

“Retreat? You coward, we’re so close to our goal!” 

“Fuck the goal, THESE PEOPLE CANNOT DIE!” Harpy pointed to the flying one, who paused mid air and threw a trident at her. She quickly deflected it and turned back to Flynn.

“Quentin killed that guy earlier, and he’s now back. I killed someone earlier, a slime thing, and it came back. There’s no way we can win, they can just keep coming at us with infinite fighters. We’ve got to get out of here!” Flynn frowned, and Harpy hoped that this was him considering what she’d discovered.

“Who’s Quentin?” Her hopes shattered.

“Oh for fucks sake… whatever. One of our men killed someone and they came back from the dead. They will keep coming back. We’re royally screwed if we don’t retrea-” A fist across the face cut her short, knocking her to the floor.

“Are you going against my judgement?” He hissed. She grimaced and got back to her feet.

“Yes. You’re going to get us all killed.” She spat back. Flynn turned away sharply, shouting

“Keep attacking boys!”

“No! Get out of here!” Harpy retorted. A sharp pain suddenly exploded in her left shoulder. And she looked over to see an arrow sticking out from between the joints of her armour. Flynn was stood there with his crossbow drawn, pointing it directly at her.

“Don’t. you DARE. Order my men around again.” 

There was no reasoning with him. All she could do was make sure as many of them survived as she could possibly manage. She turned around and pushed back through the line of Flynn defenders, then cast her eyes around so see if anyone of them needed help.

“Thought you could run away?” Harpy spun around to intercept the sword that was swung at her. It was the blond lady again.

“Not you… look I-” She gave Harpy no time to speak. The two locked into a desperate clash of swords, each as skilled as the other. However, with Harpy as distracted as she was, she did not notice the person behind her before she felt the sharp points of a trident dig through her back plate.

“Oh f-” 

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, and two of the enemy were looming over her with their weapons raised. The lady brought her sword down on Harpy’s helmet, and with a crunch the metal split.

She would not die here, not today.

With a enraged yell, she vaulted to her feet and struck out, slamming her sword hard through the chest of the other, a… human… with huge eyes. They gasped and stumbled away as she pulled the sword out and turned to the lady.

She would _ not _die today.

\--

Going back out into the battle was a huge mistake, Herobrine quickly decided as he crouched in the long grass at the edge of the battlefield. He’d cast his sense out to try and keep track, but the sheer amount of fighting around him had quickly overwhelmed him and reduced him to an anxious mess. Which, when surrounded by a large number of hunters who want nothing more than to kill you, isn’t really the best state to be in.

“Psst, Hero buddy brine boy hey!” The sudden voice made him jump, and he looked out through the grass to see who had called him. A blue coloured slime was laying in the grass staring at him.

“Hey there! Uh, a little help? I need my legs back.” It was then Herobrine noticed the slime was connected to a body, and that it was pointing to a pair of legs sprawled on the floor not too far away.

“Uhh…” Ah yes. This was Jevin. A hermit of one of the odder variety, in the fact he was indeed a slime. Herobrine slowly crawled over, and couldn’t help himself from gently prodding Jevin’s head and stifling a smile at the way it wobbled.

“Not the time, dude.” Oh yes. A few moments of dragging later, Jevin’s top half was reunited with his bottom, and they reconnected with a sickening squelch.

“Ugh, I got grass in my butt…” He commented as he stood up, shaking slightly and clicking himself back into proper position. “Thanks dude, now if you excuse me…” Jevin leaned over to grab his dropped sword and turned to run back into the battle, leaving Herobrine alone on the edge of the battlefield.

He stood there for a moment, then turned around as he felt someone approaching him. It was a single hunter, sword out and ready to strike. With a sigh, Herobrine intercepted the hunter and slammed them into the ground. Nearby, two more were staring at him, wide eyed, but they didn’t shift. One of them nodded slowly at him and turned away. At his feet, the hunter he’d taken down groaned softly, but otherwise didn’t stir. With a shudder, Herobrine turned away to look back at the fight that was happening. There were certainly less hunters now than there were before, so it seemed the hermits were doing well. There was also a charged creeper padding towards him. Herobrine stood aside, and the creeper’s head followed him as it went past.

“Uh.. h-hi?” Trying to get an answer from a creeper was useless, since generally they had little more self awareness than a plant. But it was at that moment Herobrine realized what had actually caught the supercharged plant-creature-thing’s attention. It stopped at the feet of the downed hunter and hissed, and the hunter opened his eyes at the sound.

“Oh shi-” His exclamation was cut off as the creeper exploded, scattering small arches of electrical energy around the area, and sending Herobrine flying backwards. He landed in the grass and lay there, dazed. 

That must have been the creeper cannon.

_ Doc you are insane… _

Three more explosions and cries shook him out of his stupor, and he blinked the stars out of his eyes and got to his feet. Several crackling craters now littered the battlefield, with hunters stumbling into them and getting electricity pumped into their armour. Herobrine set off around the edges of the area, hoping to make it back to the safe zone without being spotted and pursued.

“Herri! I thought you would be hiding?” Keralis suddenly said from behind him. Herobrine jumped to a stop and spun around, ready to tell off Keralis for once again spooking him, but he froze when he saw the state his friend was in. Keralis was clutching at his middle, and blood was oozing out from between his arms.

“Ke… n-no…” Herobrine held his arms out as Keralis collapsed into them. The stricken bug-eyed hermit smiled at Herobrine, as if nothing was wrong with the current situation.

“We’re doing good! No need to worry!”

“You… hurt... for me… I don’t… des…” He closed his eyes as a tear slid down his face.

“Hey hey hey hey, please don’t cry Herri!” Keralis wiped away the tear and smiled at him.

“It’s okay, I’ll be back in just a… moment…” His eyes drifted closed, and he vanished into a puff of smoke, scatting various items all over the grass. Herobrine sat there, frozen in shock, then he buried his face into his blood covered hands, smearing the red into his hair. When would his miserable deadly curse end? The matter of the hermit's ability to respawn was but a small comfort in the sea of pain that washed over him every time he watched the light fade from another friend's eyes. He didn't know if he would be able to take another one.

Please, don't let there be another one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. You wanted Keralis angst.
> 
> I GOT YOU KERALIS ANGST.
> 
> *sits in a corner sobbing* you monsters...


	26. The split.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In.. In which... I... I'm so sorry.
> 
> I'm so sorry...

Despite her insistence of the latter, it was becoming increasingly likely that she was indeed going to die here. Harpy had tried every trick she knew, but this lady had effortlessly countered all of them. She'd never had such a tough opponent before, and it would have been a lot of fun to spar with this person if she wasn't fighting for her life against them. Both of them were out of breath, staring the other down, but a terrified cry made Harpy look away first.

At the edge of the area, she spotted two recruits cowering against the wall, and they were cornered by three of the enemy who had weapons out, ready to cut them down. Her heart stopped when she recognized the trapped faces: Evenan and Axel. Those two had already been through too much. She couldn't let them- The lapse in concentration quickly cost herself though, as the sharp blade of the one she was fighting tore into her cheek and sliced it's way down to embed itself into the armour of her arm. The wounds instantly burnt in searing agony, yet she paid it no heed. Her sword was tossed aside, and she sprinted over to the cornered recruits, screaming

"DON'T YOU DARE-"

The sword smashed into her back, buckling the weakened metal and cutting through into the flesh underneath. Harpy cried out in pain as the searing fire from the sword’s enchantments set in, and she dropped to the floor heavily, still half covering the ones she’d protected. 

“You kids… run… now!” She rasped to the boys under her.

“But, Mai… you’re h-”

“NOW!” They did not need telling again. The two scrambled to their feet and fled, and Harpy turned to the attackers. All three were staring at her with shocked expressions. The female sheathed her sword with a soft grunt.

“Can’t find fault in that.” She mumbled while turning away. The other two slowly lowered their swords as well, then backed away slightly.

“Wait, this is the one that was giving False trouble right?” One, who seemed to have red scaly skin, asked.

“Yep. She just dropped her sword and took off running from me, what the hell happened?” It was the lady from before. Harpy pushed herself up against the wall, then sat down again heavily as the blood she was losing made her lightheaded. Footsteps thudded past as three more of her comrades fled the fight.

“So, we lost.” She concluded while watching them go.

“Totally lost. Never stood a chance.” One of them, who was wearing a red bandana, said with a hint of pride in his voice.

“Maybe the outcome would have been different if you guys could actually fuckin die…” Harpy growled at them.

“Woah, language!”

“Well, you killed Jevin real good.” The red scaled one said while kneeling down.

“The slimey thing? Then tell me why it’s over there just fine.” She pointed over to the aforementioned slime.

“Well… he just respawned?” Red Scales answered.

“Re what now?” All four looked down at her with varying levels of confusion.

“Y’know, respawn? At the bed you last slept in?” The girl with ginger hair explained. The man and the scaled thing looked at each other worriedly.

“I think the fight’s over guys.” The blond lady said, looking back out over the battlefield. The others turned to look, and sheathed their weapons. Harpy sighed and lowered her head, closing her eyes in despair. No doubt that those still around will be slaughtered. She can only hope that those who fled can get away now...

The glare of Flynn had no effect on Xisuma as the admin held the leader of the hunters with a sword pointed at his throat. He broke the stare and looked around, noticing just how few of his men were still present, and turned back to X.

"Well, you lot were certainly more prepared than I could have imagined. What a surprise!" He grinned.

"Cut the rubbish and stand down, Flynn." X said coldly. The grin on the hunters face only grew wider.

"Or what? I've seen you fight, you cannot kill me. You don't have the balls." He spat into the bloodstained grass. "What a waste." The blade that X was holding quivered slightly, then he pushed it ever closer to Flynn.

"Indeed, I don't want to do this. So stand down and do as I say to make it easier for all of us." There came the clinks of armour as hunter and hermit alike emerged from wherever they were and gathered around to watch the standoff. Flynn's eyes flicked around, and he frowned at the sight of the torn and cracked metal plating that his troops still sported.

"Say, how did you know how to crack our defenses? Only a few people would know how to do that. Let me guess, a certain escaped bastard of mine?"

"Oh you know it." Diana pushed through the crowd and stood tall beside Xisuma, eye narrowed and fixing a steely stare on the leader of the hunters. Flynn took in the sight of her, and his face split into another grin that was even more senile than the last.

"Ah yes, such youthful wonder, to be drawn to something so abominable. To the point of betraying one's own family to achieve their wretched goals. What a sad sight to see!" He pointed accusingly at Diana.

"Wow, didn't realise you had such a deep perspective of yourself. I'm actually surprised." She retorted with raised eyebrows. "Minus the youthful part." Flynn narrowed his eyes.

"You are no daughter of mine." He hissed.

"And the feeling is mutual." Diana shrugged. The blade Xisuma was toting was slowly lowered, and he was staring between Diana and Flynn with wide eyes.

"Flynn is your father?" He asked quietly.

"Only genetically." Diana answered. "Keep that sword pointed at him." Against her words, X lowered it, and Diana rolled her eye and sighed.

"Tough as a turtle's head but as soft as a bunny…" she chuckled and looked back at Flynn.

"Just like my mother used to describe you, right? Y'know? The mother that was mysteriously found dead the day you vanished?" She stepped closer, arms crossed tightly and expression cold.

"Ah yes. Her. She had to go, holding me away from my destiny." Flynn sighed, still with a mad smile stretched across his face. "What a shame that was, and what a shame you are all I have left of her." 

"You… disgusting, abhorrent, whatever. There isn't a word in any language that could describe the level of vile you have sunk yourself to." Diana growled. "There's a reason I changed my name as soon as possible. Wish I could change my blood relations too, but alas, that's an impossibility. X I told you to keep pointing that sword at him." She turned to the admin, and frowned at how he'd turned his head in such a way that the reflection of light on his visor hid the eyes underneath. 

"What I have left of her, that I must DESTROY."

The ear splitting sound of a blade punching through flesh and bone made everybody flinch, and a deathly silence coveted the battlefield like an icy blanket. Hunter and hemit stared at the scene, an estranged father and daughter, connected only by a sword penetrating through her chest. Diana's mouth was half open, and her eye wide as she stared down at the blade. Flynn's face was contorted into one of sickening glee, and he twisted the sword sharply, and tugged it out, spraying crimson all over himself and the grass at his feet.

The unnerving silence seemed to drag out into eternity, the air thick on every person's lungs. Then, it was broken by a scream. A scream that held centuries of repressed rage and grief, a scream of all those years spilling out into a single agonized cry. A scream that would stab deep into the heart of anyone who heard it.

"**DIANAAAAAAAAAA!!!**"

Several people stumbled aside as the blurred form of Herobrine burst through and dashed forward to catch the form of Diana just as she went limp. His legs buckled underneath him and he dropped to his knees, not caring about the blood that instantly drenched his jeans. His eyes were wide, staring down into her own fading gaze.

"H-herobrine?" She whispered. He blinked and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Diana's mouth twisted into a small smile, and she placed a hand to his cheek.

"For...everything you did… to make me who I am… th…… Thank…….. You……….."

The hand flopped to the grass.

  
  


The stillness of the area was unnerving. Every eye in the area was locked on the scene in the middle, frozen sheer shock. It was Flynn who was the first to move. He stepped towards Herobrine, an evil glint in his eye and his sword raised, ready to strike down.

After all these years, he would finally fulfill his destiny.

“Flynn?” The hunter let out a rough sigh and lowered his sword, then turned around to see what had got in his way. It was Harpy, barely able to stand on her feet, but still ready to confront what she had to.

“Diana… was your daughter?” She asked quietly.

“Was. Good riddance.” He growled, turning back away.

“You told me… that Herobrine… was the one that killed your family.” She said.

“They were no longer my family…”

“But it was you? You murdered your wife? You lied about the death of your daughter?” Her voice had risen in volume. 

“I joined you to help you avenge the death of those you loved, and hunt down the one you told me that had taken them from you. But it was all A LIE?” She stepped forward, her fists clenched tightly.

“When the demon first corrupted them, I made my choice. As much as it hurt me.” Flynn looked over, and his face looked like he was trying to force himself to look sad. Harpy shook her head.

“Then tell me, why is the ‘demon’ that you claimed took the lives of your family the one grieving over your own daughter that YOU YOURSELF MURDERED?” As the final words were shouted, Harpy launched herself forward with an enraged war cry. The shadowy blue blade of Flynn flashed through the air, and she stumbled back, clutching at her chest. Flynn was glowering at her.

“And I cannot trust you anymore.” He hissed coldly. Then he looked out around the battlefield.

“Tell me? Who can I trust? Who is still with me? Who is ready to restore the natural order, and return this demon to the depths of the void from where it emerged?”

Where his words would have been met with numerous cheers, there was now only silence. Several hunters were staring at Herobrine, who was hunched over the still form of Diana, shaking slightly, and they let go of whatever weapons they had in their hands and stepped back. Someone pushed through the crowd and stood by Flynn. It was Forrest.

“I’m down for making this thing suffer!” He grinned sickly. A few more emerged, standing with Flynn, still tightly clasping their weapons. He looked at the frankly pitiful number of supporters, only around half of what he once had, then looked around at the rest with a sneer.

“Cowards, all of you are cowards! Abandoning your goal so close to completion!” Some of the ex-hunters looked at each other, then down at the ground.

“Sick, the lot of you.” Harpy coughed, glaring at those who still supported Flynn.

“Shut your mouth you wh-”

“Ignore her. We have other things to do.” Flynn snapped. He turned back to Herobrine and pointed to him with his sword.

“Kill the thing.”

The next moment, they were flying everywhere.


	27. Lost it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they finally learn just why He is so feared across the land.

The dust that had been blown about cleared, revealing the figure in the middle. His posture hunched over, hands curled into claws, teeth bared, expression contorted into one of pure rage. Flames danced around him, and his white eyes glowed fiercer than any monster could ever wish to be. For once, it was easy to see where the demonic reputation came from. Flynn was recovering from the blow, and he was grinning madly.

"Yes! Show them your true evil nature!" The shout brought Herobrine's attention on him, and with a single fiery bound, the demon was lunging at him. The force of the strike sent Flynn backwards, his feet gouging tracks in the grass as he held his ground. He blocked strike after strike from the demon’s flaming fists, but the unending abuse was causing his legs to fail. Flynn grabbed hold of Herobrine's arms and pulled to the side, toppling Herobrine to the floor, then grabbed his sword and stabbed down. The blade sunk into the grass harmlessly however; The demon had changed targets.

Xisuma watched Herobrine charge towards him with dull eyes. He felt terrible; if he hadn't hesitated, Diana wouldn’t have been killed. No wonder Herobrine looked angry at him. Maybe not _ that _ angry th- 

X barely had time to raise his arms to defend himself before the enraged man had barreled into him, sending him flying off his feet and skidding across the grass. He ducked his head to the side as a fist slammed into the ground were his face had been just a few moments before.

“Herobrine? My friend? What’s gotten into you?” X gasped. They locked eyes, and he shuddered at what he saw. They were cold, empty of nothing but bloodlust. Gone was the gentle shy person he’d known, replaced with a creature that wanted nothing more than to kill anything that moved.

Was this what Doc had seen all those days ago? Was this what had torn off his arm and frightened him so badly?

Xisuma kicked out with his legs, managing to dislodge Herobrine from holding him down, and rolled to the side.

“Everybody! Get out of here, he’s snapped!” He called to the rest of the hermits.

“Snapped?” Grian asked, looking very concerned.

“He’s going to k-” Something smashed straight through X’s back. The repulsive sound of bone shattering and flesh tearing filled the air, and the admin vanished.

“Okay, point taken, I’m outta here!” Bdubs shouted, skittering backwards and turning tail to flee. Around them, the hunters that hadn’t rallied with Flynn were quickly vanishing every which way they could, as were many hermits. Grian looked around, then back to the form of what had maybe once been his friend. They were breathing heavily, hunched over and blood dripping from their fists.

“What on earth is going on?” Mumbo suddenly asked from beside him.

“I… don’t know. X said he’d snapped. And he just…” Grian gulped, feeling the fear rising in him. 

“I... ah... okay.” Mumbo quickly backed away, and there was a pained yelp as he proceeded to step on Doc’s foot.

“Hero? You there, buddy?” Grian asked, stepping forward shakily. Herobrine just stared back blankly. Grian ran forward and grabbed the man in a tight hug, stifling a cry at the feeling of the fire burning around him searing into his flesh.

“I know you’re in there! Please stop th-” The next moment, his words were cut of by agonizing screams as the flames engulfed him. The remaining Hermits moved around the two in a circle.

“Grian? Get out of there!” Cleo called to him. False rushed forward and pushed them apart, and Grian flopped into Cleo’s waiting hold. 

“Herri? Herri it’s okay, I said I’d be back!” Keralis had run in and taken Herobrine by the shoulders, only to be met with a hard hit to the chest. He landed in the grass with a grunt, and rolled over to look back at Herobrine.

“What is going on?”

“You all get out of the goddamn way!” A hunter kicked Keralis in the ribs, making him squeak in surprise. Another two were running in with weapons raised, and Herobrine lept at them, attacking mercilessly. They returned the attacks, stabbing and striking with everything they had, and a third joined in the fray.

“Keralis? You okay?” Mumbo kneeled down beside the winded hermit, and he nodded slightly with a wince.

“What happened to Herri?”

“I don’t know. We should get out of here though…” Keralis grabbed Mumbo’s arm.

“No! We can't just leave him!” He protested. Mumbo went still, his eyes flicking between Keralis and the fighting that now involved two more hunters, False, Cleo and Doc.

“What do we do then?” Keralis opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked over to the fight, and cringed at the sight of Herobrine somehow just straight up vapourizing False.

“O-okay… You... may have a point.” He admitted.

“Oh jeez, things have really escalated here…” Both of them turned to see Xisuma returning from the spawn point.

“Yeah… What do we do? Will he stop being like… this?” Mumbo questioned, gesturing to the carnage. X shook his head.

“I don’t know… Maybe I’ll ask Diana later, she seems to know a lot about him.”

“Shashwhammy, I don't mean to alarm you, but there is a tiny teeny little bit of a problem with that idea.” Keralis said, and he pointed over to where the limp body of Diana was laying on the ground. X’s hands flew to his helmet.

“Oh my- wait, has she not… oh…" He stepped away, then ran over to her and dropped to his knees. "Oh no…”

Keralis got to his feet and slowly made his way over to the admin, and Mumbo watched him go until a bout of shouting pulled his attention away. He looked over to see Flynn had grabbed a hold of Herobrine and was pulling him backwards, and got to his feet to go towards the fight, standing at the very edge of the commotion to see the situation play out. Doc ran forward and jammed his arms in between them, wrapping his metal one around Herobrine and attempting to pull him away from Flynn. At the same time, another hunter, the woman who had denounced Flynn earlier, grabbed hold of Flynn and also tried to pull him off of Herobrine. Flynn was pressing the blade of his sword against Herobrine’s throat, and a small line of blood was dripping down from it. Doc looked over and spotted Mumbo.

“Mumbo, help me! Or just do something?” He barked sharply. Mumbo looked around, panicking slightly. What should he do? Surely another hermit would be much better equipped to h- there were no other hermits present. 

With a nervous swallow, he stepped forward, then proceeded to be shoved roughly by a hunter. All 6 foot 5 of clumsy redstoner stumbled into the tangle of human, creeper and enraged cryptid, knocking them backwards through a smouldering hole in the wall and right into a portal constructed of solid diamond blocks. Purple particles burst out of the portal as body after body tumbled through. Then there was no one.

The hunters stood around, surprised at the sudden disappearance of their leader and their prey.

“Wait, is that a nether portal?” Forrest asked, pointing at the purple swirling in the frame.

“Boss must be through there, come on guys!” Brad exclaimed, hopping onto the diamond frame. “We got a demon to kill!”

With multiple cheers of excitement, the remaining hunters poured into the portal, disappearing through one by one.

“Wait hold o-” By the time Xisuma reached them, the final hunter had vanished. His arms dropped to his sides as he stared helplessly into the portal. The weird one that nobody knew where it would take you.

“Oh no…” Keralis appeared at his right side, and Bdubs at his left. X turned around as more hermits reemerged from hiding, as well as a few hunters. Scar was cradling Diana in his arms, looking distraught. 

“N...now what?” False asked. The look on her face was grim. Sure, they’d won the battle, but it didn’t feel like a victory. Besides, most of those who they were fighting were still here. Xisuma looked around at the unfamiliar faces and realized with a disturbing jolt just how _ young _many of them looked. A few of them were huddled together in small groups, looking around nervously, and one was over by Scar, peering at Diana. Scar turned away from them slightly with a mistrustful look, but his expression softened slightly when he took in this one’s appearance.

“This… this is a kid? Why’s there a kid here?” he asked around, confused. Iskall peered over his shoulder.

“Maybe he’s like Grian? Much older than he looks?”

“Are you saying I look like a kid?” Grian asked indignantly from his position at Cleo's feet. Xisuma approached the young hunter and crouched slightly to get on his level.

“Hello! Uhm… do you… have parents around here?” They seemed to ignore him, still trying to examine Diana. X felt a twitch of annoyance.

“Hey? I was speaking to you?” He told them slightly louder. Still no response. The annoyance blossomed into a small well of anger.

“A bit rude to just ig-”

“Uh, sorry sir…” He felt a tap on his arm and turned to see a girl looking at him. She gulped nervously and pointed to the kid. “Ralph... can’t hear you. He can't hear anything really…” 

“Oh, he’s deaf?” X asked in surprise. No wonder he hadn’t had a response from him. The girl nodded. She tapped Ralph on the shoulder and he turned around, then started slightly from the sight of Xisuma right behind him. The terrified look he had made X feel bad, making him realize just how close he had been to telling off this child for something he had no control over.

“I don’t know any sign language…” He admitted guiltily. 

“He can lip read really well though, it’s ok- uhm…” The girl was staring awkwardly at his helmet, and he sighed in annoyance. It seemed everything was determined to get in the way of X being able to communicate with this person.

“X, it’s fine, I can sign” Cleo suddenly said from behind him.

“Oh, you can?” He asked, and Cleo nodded with a smile and stepped past him. She kneeled down and Ralph shrank away in fear. Xisuma decided it would be best to step away to not overwhelm the poor kid, and he turned his attention to the rest of the people present.

It had mostly split into two main groups of hermit and hunter, but there was a surprising amount of mix between them. Grian was chatting with a small group along with Stress, False was weaving in between the hunters, looking for something, and Jevin was being prodded by several of them while looking rather annoyed at the situation.

It was like they lost all their hostility the moment their leader vanished. That brought along another problem though; X now had to deal with 15 something lost kids stranded on his land. Coupled with the fact that two hermits and Herobrine had vanished into a portal that took them to god knows where along with the rest of the hunters, Herobrine losing his mind and going feral and Diana not respawning, the situation was rapidly becoming overwhelming. He found himself sitting on the ground with his head in his hands, and was finding it hard to control his breathing.

_ Relax, one thing at a time… _

“S-sir? Are you okay?” The sudden voice made him jump, and he opened his eyes to see the girl who had spoken to him before sitting down staring at him.

“Yes… I’m fine, just a little… overwhelmed.” He took out his communicator and opened the admin panel.

“Oh? The boss uses something like this to get us around! I always wanted to look at it but he never let me…” Xisuma nearly dropped his communicator in shock. He turned to the girl with wide eyes.

“Elaborate please?”

“Uuh… well it was like this… block. A small one, it looked kind of broken though… Looked like it was made out of wood and stuff, had a lot of buttons on it.”

**<xisumavoid>/give xisumavoid command_block**

X held out the block he’d cheated in, and the girl peered at it.

“Yes! Like this! It was kind of broken and nasty though, had this weird black sparky thing around it…”

“Flynn had a command block… oh jeez. What did he do with it?” He asked. 

“Well, the boss mostly used it to make portals that could take us to wherever the… uh… demon? Wherever he went…” She shivered slightly. “I don’t like going through the portals…”

“Anything else?”

“He sometimes uses it to create things out of nothing… like you just did. He’s not very good at that though.”

“Oh no…” Xisuma sighed and reopened the admin line. No wonder he’d had trouble with trying to ban him, Flynn was technically an admin in his own broken way. Thank goodness that he seemed rather incompetent at it, at least according to this girl.

“Thanks for telling me.” X simply said, typing in commands to the command line. He’d at least try to locate where the missing hermits were. A set of coordinates appeared on screen for Mumbo’s communicator, and Xisuma felt his heart sink.

**173,39̛̝4̙͈̭̫̱͙͍,͡҉̖̺̝̦0͍̗̕4̵̭̦̞̦͘ͅ9͚͚̩͠ 126 187,49̣͓͉̗̟͘͞ͅ3̶̹̱̰̺̮̗̯͓,͉̞͔͝3̲4̗̙̟͔ͅ9̦̩̕ͅ**

“How far out???” He spluttered, swapping to a pm with Mumbo.

**<xisumavoid> Mumbo? Can you read this?**

** _Message failed to deliver._ **

He swapped back to the admin controls and located Doc’s and Herobrine’s communicators. Doc’s seemed to be in much the same place as Mumbo’s, but Herobrine’s was moving rapidly, although in a similar location. X sighed in relief. At least they were together, but _ where _they were was a whole other matter. He didn’t even think the world went out that far!

He looked around to find the girl had wandered away to a wall where Cub was hanging around. Cub was eyeing her suspiciously, but she paid him no heed and instead picked her way into a patch of tall grass. X got to his feet and turned back to the rest of the hermits. The mix between them and the hunters had grown, with Grian flitting around and trying to chat to as many as possible, Jevin having accepted his fate and was now being poked by 12 curious vstrangers, and Cleo was still having a conversation with Ralph. As X approached her, she suddenly wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“I swear I will protect this kid even if it costs me my…” Her eyes flicked to the side. “Uh… un-life.” Ralph squirmed in her grasp for a moment, then went still and accepted the hug.

“That was a quick bond.” Xisuma mused.

“His parents disowned him because they thought he was stupid!” Cleo choked out, trying to hold back a few tears. 

“Oh.” Well, wasn’t that just a kick in the heartstrings. 

“Can I keep him?” Cleo asked.

“That isn’t really something you ask when talking about another human.” Xisuma answered. Cleo simply laughed and let Ralph go. The boy looked between Cleo and X quizzically, reminding the admin that he wouldn’t have the slightest clue as to what X was saying.

“But, where can they go?” Cleo looked around and noted just how many of them there were. False had joined them, looking a bit peeved.

“I’m sure we can find a village or something they can stay…” She suggested. “Maybe the new guys place?”

“I don’t think they’ll be happy about that arrangement.” Xisuma replied. He frowned, considering the options they had. It would also rely on whatever the hunters themselves wanted to do.

“I’m really wanting to find that woman I was fighting earlier…” False mumbled, looking around. “Have you seen her?”

“She… went through the portal…” He told her. False groaned and buried her face in her hands. Xisuma turned around to see that a lot of people had gathered around him. The hermits were waiting expectantly to know what to do next, and it seemed the hunters wanted to know what was happening too. Was it even fair to call them hunters anymore?

“So, uh… Where’s Herobrine? And Mumbo?” Grian asked nervously.

“Where’s Harpy?” One of the ex-hunters(?) piped in.

“Where are we?” Another one asked quietly. X raised his hands in an attempt to stop the questions. They fell silent and waited for him to speak.

“Herobrine, Mumbo and Doc went through the infinity portal” He explained while pointing over his shoulder to the structure behind him.

“As did Flynn, along with a bunch of the others.” He looked around the unfamiliar faces in the group, and they looked in amongst each other.

“Forrest is gone…” one mumbled.

“Well, he’s not picking on Ralph so definitely gone.” another one said back.

“Thank f- uh goodness.” The first one stumbled over the curse as he noticed the aforementioned boy staring at him, causing several of the hermits to chuckle at the oddly wholesome situation.

“I… I think Harpy’s gone…” One of them whispered sadly.

“I thought she went off on Flynn? Why would she go after him?”

“It looked like she was trying to stop him from going… It was hard to tell.”

“Quentin and Austin are gone as well. I didn’t think those softies would still be supportive of him after all that.”

“No, they’re here!” The girl from before pushed through the crowd, and Cub was following closely behind while holding someone on his back.

“Is Johnny or Damien here?” The girl asked.

"No they went after Flynn." Another hunter answered. She grimaced, then asked "any other Doctors then?"

X gulped and looked over to Scar, who was still holding Diana.

“Well, our main one also went through the portal, and as for the other, she… uh…” He caught a few “what the fuck”s floating in from the crowd at many hunters took a look at what their leader had done.

“No wonder Harpy lost it at him.” One of them exclaimed. “Remember what she did to the last gal who killed her own family?”

“I’d really rather not…”

“Oh, crap… sorry…”

“It’s fine...”

Xisuma wanted to silence the chatter, but he found the dynamic between the ex-hunters to be fascinating. It was seeming more and more like they were one large family than a group of savages. Cub had appeared at his side with the girl and another person in tow.

“I’ll be going to treat this person’s injuries then. Is anyone else in need of medical aid?” He turned around, addressing the question to the group around them. A few of them looked surprised, and others were checking themselves and each other. However, no one stepped forward, and Cub nodded and turned away. As the group watched him leave, one of them turned around to look at X.

“So… now what?” He asked.

“You not going to kill us?” Another one questioned shyly.

“What? No! At least, I don’ t think we are…" Grian had slowly gotten to his feet as his injuries had healed, and he turned to the admin as he spoke. "Ecks-eye-zzzzzhooosooamaaarrgh what do you say?” Xisuma sighed and shrugged.

“I… honestly don’t know. This is a totally unfamiliar situation. We can't exactly just let a large group of people stay in what is meant to be a private area, but I can't just kick them out either. Not with…” He paused and turned to look at the portal, then to Scar. “Not with what just happened.” He swallowed, feeling a lump in his throat as he took in the glum expression of his friend, and looked back to the rest of the group.

“I will need to question you lot though before anything else. I suggest the hermits remain in the area for now if you can in case I need backup.” His narrowed eyes made a few of the ex-hunters gulp nervously and shuffle away slightly. One of them had set down a few blocks into a shelter of sorts, and a few had huddled together underneath it. A few of the hermits had also wandered away, still hovering at the edge of the scene in case they were needed. X sighed.

“Okay, good job everyone, meeting dismissed…” He attempted to rub his eyes but his gloved hand clunked against his visor. This was going to be a long process…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the battle is over. But who really won?


	28. Stranded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they find themselves in a far out situation.

Mumbo groaned and rubbed his head, squeezing his eyes shut against the bright light that filtered in through his eyelids. His ears were ringing, but he could hear the sound of some sort of struggle over the constant noise. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked, then threw himself to the side as a sword slammed down into the ground right where his head has been a split second before. 

"Oh my word!" He exclaimed, quickly scrambling away from the hunter and getting to his feet. They fixed their eyes on him and charged, and he turned tail and ran. There was a reason he didn't participate in the main fight! 

Mumbo quickly found a tree he could hide in, and scrambled into the leaves, trying to curl into the tightest ball he could. At the base of the tree, the hunter was glaring at him.

"Coward." They spat at him.

"Yep, I am well aware. Please leave me alone?" Mumbo called down to them.

"Okay. Here have this." There came the click of a flint and steel and the crackle of flames, and the hunter slinked away with a chuckle. Mumbo smiled to himself.

_ Firetick is off, haha! _

The flames flickered around him, singeing the sleeve of his jacket.

_ FIRETICK IS NOT OFF! _

Mumbo landed on the ground with a painful sounding thump, and he lay there for a moment trying to regain the wind that was knocked out of him. Then he lifted his head to look around at the situation, and everything that has just happened came rushing back to him.

"Oh, dear god." There was a _ lot _ of fighting going on. Herobrine was in the middle of it all, lashing out at anyone that came near him, and several hunters were surrounding him, attacking with anything they had. A few more were on the outskirts of the fight, and two of them spotted him, looked at each other, then started running towards him with weapons raised and murder in their eyes. 

"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. No no no no no nononononoooo!!" He ducked and dodged desperately under and between swiped blades, and cringed as several of the blows landed. He pulled his own sword out and swung it around blindly, but a solid strike tore the handle from his grasp and sent the weapon flying away from him. Not good.

Mumbo backed away, but one of the hunters ran forward and barreled into him, knocking him to the floor, and he found himself pinned under their weight.

"Why you going after me? What have I done to you?" He asked them while desperately trying to think of a way to get out of the situation. His hands flew to grasp at the hunter's arm in an attempt to pull it off.

"I just enjoy seeing pretty boys squirm~" the hunter grinned down at him. Mumbo blinked.

"I uh, don't swing that way, sorry." His response led to the hunter applying more pressure on him, leaving him practically unable to breathe. Mumbo gripped the arm that was holding him down tighter, and kicked out with his legs, planting one foot on the hip of the hunter, then proceeded to pin them to himself with his other leg. They grunted from the awkward position and struggled slightly, giving Mumbo a chance to swing his leg over their head and pin their arm properly in place against his body. 

"Hey, let go you-" A sickening crack was heard from the hunter's arm, and they screamed in pain, making Mumbo let go in surprise. They scrambled back, clutching at their arm which looked to be at a weird angle, and them fixed a death glare on him.

"Get him." They hissed coldly. The other hunter advanced towards Mumbo as he was trying to untangle his limbs, and the glint of a blade caught the redstoner's eye, making him pause. Then the sword was plunged down, straight through his leg and into the ground underneath. 

Mumbo cried out in agony, jerking his trapped leg by instinct which only served to make the blade cut even deeper into the muscle, thus causing even more pain. The hunter stood back, then turned around and called out across the area: "HEY FORREST! GOT YOU A GIFT!"

Another hunter, presumably the one the first hunter was calling for, broke away and came towards them, and Mumbo couldn't help but notice the gleeful look on his face. And also his black eye and crooked nose. But mostly the murderous smile.

"The more helpless the better for you, right?" The hunter that Mumbo had broken the arm of asked Forrest. He nodded, his grin growing.

"I'll take care of this one, so nice if you to think of me! Thanks guys!" The hunter drew a blade and loomed over Mumbo, and the other two stepped away, but stayed nearby as if to watch. Mumbo gulped and tried his best to meet the gaze of Forrest, but found himself looking away. 

"So, where should I begin?" Forrest whispered in a tone that chilled Mumbo to the very core.

"I'd suggest, nowhere?" He answered, only to be met with a laugh.

"Oh, if only that was an option, my dear friend…"

\--

Doc's vision was beginning to blur with exhaustion as he fought off those who kept attacking him. He was surrounded on all sides by hunters, and struck out in every direction with his trident to keep them at bay. Yet, the effects of whatever stupid plant thing they'd jammed into his body still had a firm grasp on him. Even after he'd requested Scar to kill him so he could respawn to escape it, the feeling of weakness returned after a few hopeful hours. However, he was determined not to let it hold him back, so he ignored how much his legs were shaking and fought on.

And this time, despite it being 6 on 1 and Doc being weakened, he was actually managing to stand his ground. 4 of the hunters were sporting trident wounds and looked to be on the verge of fleeing, and the other 2 were out of breath, their attacks growing more and more sluggish every minute the fight dragged on. As long as Doc could outlast them, he’d be fine. He struck out with the trident again and managed to catch a hunter on the arm, slicing a nasty gash in the flesh. The hunter grunted in pain and tried to return the blow, but his weakened arm could not hold the sword any longer, and he backed away with a disgusted look on his face.

“Y’know what, fuck this.” Another of the hunters growled, sheathing his weapon and stepping away from the fight. Doc grinned at the remaining hunters.

“That all you got? Come on!” He shouted, slamming back behind him with the handle of his trident right into the stomach of another hunter. They croaked and fell over backwards, then lay there trying to get their breath back. Finally, the rest of the hunters backed off and fled, and Doc stood tall as he watched them go. When the final hunter was out of sight, he let out the breath he was holding and let himself fall to the floor.

“Ffffffffffuuuuuu………” He flopped over onto his back and stared into the dizzying abyss above him. For the first time, Doc took a moment to look around at what was surrounding him, blinking as each sight he saw was weirder than the last. It looked as if the ground itself was warped, stacked into pillars and walls of earth that towered around him. He groaned as he got to his feet and grabbed his trident, then started walking in the opposite direction of where the hunters had gone, using the weapon as a makeshift walking stick to support his weight better. His head followed a tree as he walked past it, trying to figure out just how it was growing sideways, then he shrugged and turned away. There were more important things to worry about, like…

“Crap, Mumbo! Herobrine!” He spun around on the spot and ran back from where he came from. 3 hunters turned to look at him as he sped past, looked at each other, then took off after him. Doc burst out into a field, and spotted a group of hunters being thrown around by Herobrine. They looked to be trying to attack the man, but were failing miserably. Why was Herobrine scared of these people again?

Something landed with a crash right in front of Doc, making him jump, and he locked eyes with Herobrine, remembering at that very moment why he’d chosen to get away from the area as soon as he could.

“Okay, Herobrine, man, just listen to me here, chill out, it’s all g-” He leapt to the side with a yelp, dodging the attack that had been thrown at him. Crap, he was not looking forward to fighting this guy again. At least Herobrine was aware of his actions last time, this time he looked to just be fueled by pure unrestrained rage. A recipe for getting both of his arms ripped off, and probably his head as well. Doc ran into the trees he’d just emerged from, hoping that the cryptid would lose focus on him and turn on the hunters that were following him. To his relief, it worked and Herobrine locked onto them, giving him the chance to quickly duck through the thick undergrowth and re-emerge elsewhere. He looked around, then spotted the lanky black shape of Mumbo laying on the grass across the field. Of course he’d have tripped over while trying to flee. Concerning how there was a hunter crouched over him though…

The sound of his scream reached Doc’s ears, making his blood run cold. They better not be…

Within a few seconds, Doc had crossed the entire field, trident raised and a savage war cry in this throat. The hunter barely had time to look up before he was launched into the air by an unstoppable barrage of furious cyborg creeper. He landed in the grass and gasped as the trident was pressed against his throat. Doc recognized the face that was staring at him, despite the bruising that covered half of it, and the light of terrified recognition in the hunter’s eyes indicated he too remembered Doc.

“Well well well… if it isn’t the sadistic asshole…” Doc hissed at him.

“If it… i-isn’t the… dumbass... weed... oh fuck…” The hunter tried to put on a sneery tone, but the fearful squeak made its way into his voice anyway, making Doc smile.

“Don’t. You dare. Even _ think _ about hurting my friends again.” He growled. The hunter scrambled away as quick as he could possibly manage, and Doc stood up straight again and turned back to Mumbo.

“Mumbo? You good?” He crouched down besides the redstoner, and his breath caught in his throat when he noticed the wounds cut into Mumbo’s hands and wrists, and he had his eyes squeezed shut with tears shining in the corners. Doc quickly ripped part of his labcoat off and wrapped it tightly around Mumbo’s hands, quickly tying the fabric into a knot before shaking him slightly. Mumbo opened his eyes slightly, then fully when he saw who was present.

“Doc?” 

“Yes. I’m here. Do you think you can walk? We gotta get out of here man…” Mumbo shrugged.

“I’ll give it a go.” With that, the redstoner sat forward, grunting slightly, but instantly collapsed into a wobbly pile as soon as he tried to stand any weight on his legs.

“Never mind. I’m done for.” He gasped. “Arrghrowww…”

“Hah… nope.” Doc bent down and slung Mumbo over his shoulder, much to his chagrin, then set off for the nearest treeline.

“What about Hero?” Mumbo asked over his shoulder.

“He nearly turned me into a pile of ash just now, I think it’s best to just… wait until he burns himself out then deal with him then…” Doc couldn't suppress the slight shudder that ran through him at the memory of those savage white eyes piercing into his very being. 

“You okay dude?” Mumbo wriggled a bit, nearly overbalancing Doc and making him stumble.

“Yes, when you sit still.” He grumbled, stopping for a moment as his vision blurred once again. “Although knowing you, there’s more chance of having a meaningful conversation with a creeper then that ever happening…”

“Uh… okay yeah. Sure.”

“What? Have you ever been able to talk to a creeper before?” Doc asked.

“Am I… uh… not having a nice chat with one right now?” Mumbo countered back. The question was met with a somewhat awkward silence, and Mumbo attempted to shift and look over his shoulder, but found the position to be uncomfortable enough to resign himself to just stare at the grass scrolling along below him. He quickly found his hands wandering and picking at a torn edge of Doc’s labcoat, and the fabric shifted to reveal the rough green skin underneath. Huh.

_ Doc has spots? _

The cyborg suddenly jolted to a stop, causing Mumbo to slam his jaw against his back.

“Ow!” He rubbed it, rather disgruntled.

“Sorry. I think we should be hidden here…” Doc crouched down and laid Mumbo on the ground, then took a few steps away. Mumbo looked around the small hollow they were in, his mind instantly wandering to what sort of traps that could be constructed to protect the area. The last few days have wormed their way deep into his brain it seems.

“Where even are we?” He asked, shuffling over to shelter under an overhang. Doc took out his communicator and turned it on.

“Not sure, I’ll see where the cooooooorr what the…” His eye widened at the numbers displayed on the screen.

“Huh?” Mumbo took his own device out and turned on the screen, and his heart sank when he saw the long string of numbers overflowing off the coordinate display.

“Oh dear god… what on earth? Or rather, where on earth?” 

"Is that a million? We're like… so far out!" Mumbo couldn't help but notice the dismay in the cyborg's voice.

"I mean… at least the gravel pits won't be mined out I guess?" He joked, trying to lighten the situation. Doc chuckled slightly, then started typing a message. He paused for a few moments, then typed another.

"Uhh, Mumbo, please tell me you can type a message to Sizuma…" Mumbo grimaced and opened the chat.

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> Hi X, we're alive.**

** _Message failed to deliver._ **

"I… bring bad news." He switched to global chat, then to several other Hermit's chats, all of which gave the same outcome until Doc's communicator pinged. He gasped and looked down with a flash of hope in his eyes, only to have it immediately dashed when he saw it was from Mumbo.

"Welp. We're screwed." The redstoner concluded. Doc sat down beside him and leaned his head back against the rock wall. 

"You good?" Mumbo asked him, looking rather concerned.

"Yes." 

"Why are you lying down like that then?" 

"Because I want to." Doc sighed into the grass, wishing that Mumbo's prying questions would stop. The plant would wear off, any day now…

Something was shaking him, and he could hear a muffled voice.

"...a problem, Doc…" He groaned and opened an eye to see the world had gone dark. 

"Dooooc!"

"What??" He snapped, a bit harsher than he'd intended.

"Herobrine's here."

"Oh fuck." Doc was instantly reaching for his trident, but paused and decided against grabbing it. He looked into Herobrine's eyes, and noticed that they were not as blank as before. Something was in them. Was it… sadness?

"Mumbo, how well do you know this guy?" He asked.

"Uh, a little?"

"Do you think you could possibly calm him down?" Mumbo cringed.

"I don't like where this is going." He looked over and noticed that Herobrine was advancing towards them, fists ablaze.

"Well, like it or not, just think of something, anything!" And with that, Doc launched himself at Herobrine, knocking him to the floor. The man let out a yell as he found himself pinned under the cyborg's weight, and flames hissed around him. However, Doc was pinning him with his metal arm, and he had dug his claws deep into the ground to secure him in place. Mumbo gulped and crawled over to them, wincing as Herobrine thrashed about, kicking and screaming in his attempts to free himself. 

"O-okay… uh… hey Herobrine? You there?" No change in temperament. Mumbo thought back to when Keralis, Grian and himself had met together with him. Hugging was out of the question, unless you could count what Doc was currently doing as a very rough hug.

"Could you hurry? My arm is going to melt!"

"Okay! Okay! Uhh… how about…" He gently petted the top of Herobrine's head.

"Seriously man?"

"You got any better ideas?" Mumbo shot back. That made Doc shut his mouth. Mumbo leaned down so that he was almost eye to eye with Herobrine, and buried his fingers into his hair. Oh wow, it was really fluffy-

"Hey buddy, just, listen. It's okay, everything is going to be fine…" he forced himself to smile as he ran his fingers through Herobrine's hair, and surprisingly, he stopped struggling, instead just laying there, panting heavily. The flames died down a bit, which gave Mumbo a little more hope. He sat back, then decided to place a space comparator he had in front of him. Herobrine liked to play with the comparators, Mumbo knew that. As expected, he prodded at the component, and Mumbo continued the petting, making Herobrine relax a little more. He finally closed his mouth and eyes, and Doc loosened his hold slightly, then a bit more, until he completely let go and shuffled back.

"Hey Hero, you know what this is?" Mumbo found himself asking. Herobrine did not answer, but a sudden twitch from Mumbo's arm made the flames on his hands re light again.

"Shh, there there... Want to know how it works? Well, uh, magic." Mumbo chuckled nervously. "Actually, well..."

Doc watched in amazement as the technical redstone jargon, coupled with some fiddling of the component in question, finally extinguished the fire that was still smouldering around Herobrine.

"I can't believe that worked!" He exclaimed, bewildered at the outcome, and also rather peeved at just _how_ Mumbo had described the function of a comparator. Then again, his description wouldn't have been as effective. This was why Mumbo was the one doing the talking.

"I can't either." Mumbo admitted, continuing to pet Herobrine like a puppy. Finally, he completely relaxed and went limp. Mumbo took his hand off his head and sat back, quickly grabbing the comparator as he did so. For a moment, nothing happened, then Herobrine groaned slightly and lifted his head to look around. His eyes fell on Mumbo and Doc, who were both watching him closely, then he scrambled away from them a bit.

"You with us again?" Doc asked him. His only answer was a stare, then all of a sudden Herobrine was on his feet and running away from them.

"Huh? Where you going? Wait!" Mumbo attempted to chase after him, but instantly fell back to the ground with a cry. Doc went a few steps forward instead, but fell back, unwilling to leave Mumbo.

"Well, he's not trying to kill everything now… That's a start." He commented, turning back to Mumbo and dragging him back under the overhang while ignoring his protests. He set about gathering some wood to extend their shelter while Mumbo dusted himself off. He cringed as his hand brushed the wound on his thigh, then noted in alarm the black dust wisping off of it.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"They thorned me." Doc sat down beside him, and frowned as he examined the wound. 

"Brace yourself." He said simply. Mumbo barely had time to voice his reservations before he was instead loudly voicing the pain of the cyborg's hand digging into his leg. Doc gripped onto something hard and tugged his hand back, ripping the thorn from Mumbo's flesh. The scream died in Mumbo's throat, and he flopped back, unconscious. Doc grimaced.

"Sorry Mumbo!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Creepers have spots don't @ me
> 
> And also... Why has nobody ever taken into consideration that Mumbo takes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes before?


	29. Returning breath.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the admin makes progress.

**<xisumavoid> /gamemode survival Diana**

** _No player was found_ **

"Please…" Xisuma whispered to the screen. "Just work, please!" He typed in the command again and when he was met with the same outcome, he proceeded to throw the device on the floor and rest his head in his hands. It was looking increasingly likely that Diana was indeed permanently dead, despite the admin doing everything he could to prevent that. A tear worked its way out of his eye and soaked into the lining of his helmet, and he attempted to wipe it away only to be blocked by his visor.

He'd caused the death of a good friend, and wasn't even able to fix it. The only thing he could try now was dive into the very heart of the coding, and figure it out from there. But that was incredibly risky, and with two Hermits and Herobrine currently out of reach of the system, there was no telling on how they would be affected. 

Slowly, X bent over to retrieve the communicator and turn it off, and he stuffed it into his pocket, shut down the computer in front of him and got to his feet, stretching his shoulders and feeling them pop. A sharp pain suddenly shot through his back, and he doubled over with a grunt. Even though dying healed you of wounds you had, it often left a little something behind, be it a tiny line of a stab wound, or a patch of rough skin from a burn mark.

Having your entire spinal column ripped out was an _ exceedingly _ excessive amount of damage to kill someone, and X had been plagued with back pain ever since that incident, especially during his dreams which had acquired the habit of replaying that moment over and over. He shuddered slightly and braced himself, and the pain slowly faded, letting him straighten out again. The sun was filtering through a window, and it felt wonderfully warm as he stepped into the light. Slowly, he shuffled forward and opened the door, stepping out of the villager house and onto the street. Outside, Cub was leaning against the wall. He looked over to Xisuma as the admin emerged, and smiled slightly.

"Howdy X!"

"Hello Cub! What brings you here?" X returned the greeting with a yawn.

"I just wanted to see how you were getting on. Plus the refugees are growing restless, they want you to find a certain person who I can only assume is the mother of all of them." He smirked a bit as he said this.

"Mother of them all?" X spluttered, and Cub let out a laugh.

"I doubt Harpy is their actual mom, but the way many of them talk about her leads me to believe she assumes the role of one. The child in particular is reacting negatively to her absence." He sighed, looking rather sad.

"They… have no pillar of support to lean on. The elder ones of the group are trying to assume the role of leader but are struggling under the pressure. We… Scar and I want to help out in dealing with them. I want to know what your stance on that is?" Xisuma blinked as he took in all the information.

"That would be a wonderful idea! Thank you Cub!" He couldn't contain the immense relief that flowed through every word he spoke. Cub was quick to detect this, and frowned slightly.

"Also, please remember to sleep as well." He gently reminded him. Xisuma sighed.

"I would… but every blimmin time I close my eyes I'm getting my spine ripped out again…" the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. Cub just nodded. 

"As to be expected from such a traumatic experience. I still have access to make sleep drugs if you want."

"No! No Cub... I'll be fine." The admin tried to reassure him, but he could tell Cub was not convinced from the look he was given.

"Anyway, I'll be off to the camp. Who is there at present?" X asked. 

"Scar, Grian, and the girls." Cub listed, taking out a firework as X did the same. “I only came here to check on you.”

"That's so nice of you!" Xisuma exclaimed, taking off into the air. They flew together in silence, and the ramshackle mess of small shelters soon sped into view. As X landed, he saw Scar, False and Grian standing beside a half-constructed building, and they seemed to be discussing something with a few ex-hunters. No doubt trying to get the place into some semblance of livable. Cub went over to them right after landing, leaving X alone in the middle of the shacks. He looked around and couldn't help but notice several of the refugees staring at him fearfully. He tried his best to make himself look less threatening, and proceeded to be nearly taken off his feet by his throbbing back pain. Gah, he'd wanted to look friendly, not helpless… 

Xisuma felt a small hand on his shoulder, and he shifted to see Ralph standing beside him, a look of worry on his face.

"Oh, hey kiddo." He smiled at him. The kid's expression did not change though, reminding X of his disability, and he sighed and gave a small wave to him instead. He smiled slightly and waved back, then ran a finger down X’s back, making the admin wince.

“Ow, please stop…” He gave the kid a slight nudge and shook his head. He backed away, looking a little hurt. Xisuma thought for a moment, trying to think of any possible way he could communicate with Ralph, then had a brainwave and took out him communicator. He turned on the screen, and typed out a message but did not send it. Instead, he turned the screen to Ralph and pointed to the sentence. Ralph’s eyes narrowed as he peered at the words, and he blinked cluelessly.

“Oh no… Please tell me you can read…” Ralph shook his head, as if answering X’s desperate query. X groaned and looked at the floor, feeling ever more frustrated at the lack of any way he could talk to the kid. Only one thing he could do now, the one thing that he wanted to avoid at all costs. He reached for the back of his helmet, unclipped the fasteners, and took it off. Ralph took a few steps backwards, his eyes like saucers as he gazed at a sight very few people had ever seen. X tried to flash him a friendly smile, but the air outside of his helmet was almost immediately getting to him. He made sure to be looking straight at the boy as he said as clearly as possible:

"Do you know where Cleo is?" Ralph squinted at X's mouth for a seemingly endless amount of time, and X repeated the question, trying to ignore the lightheadedness. Finally, Ralph nodded and held his hand out towards him. The gesture was never returned though; the next moment, he was stumbling away from X as the admin keeled over onto the floor, coughing and gasping for air. The boy looked around in panic, then spotted Xisuma's helmet, which had rolled a few feet away from them. He grabbed it and ran over to the asphyxiated man, kneeling down and holding it out to him. When X didn't react, he cried out to those around him. He didn't want this to happen! He didn't know that this man couldn't breathe! Someone? Anyone please help??

The next thing Xisuma knew, he was on his back, staring into the sky above him. Around the corners of his vision, several blurry figures were gathered, and he recognised Scar, Cleo and Ralph among them. He groaned slightly and lifted his head to get a better look around. Cleo let out a huge sigh, then proceeded to lightly thump Xisuma on the side of his helmet.

"What were you thinking?" She asked, her voice trembling just a little.

"Had to talk to Ralph…" X grunted in reply. He turned to the boy to see the terrified look in his eyes as he half hid behind Cleo. Scar sighed and facepalmed while Cleo crossed her arms and fixed him with a hard stare.

"You terrified the poor kid… please just come find me next time. He understands." Her eyes flicked down to Ralph. "Maybe a bit too well now…" X closed his eyes and nodded, shaking off the last of the dizziness inflicted on him by the unfiltered air.

"You going to be okay now? I'd offer you water but… well, you know." A quiet voice said from beside him. X looked to his right to see the girl who had first informed him about Ralph. She was looking as scared as Ralph was, with her hands clasped together tightly at her chest.

"I… was curious on why you didn't just take your helmet off first time… I didn't know it would be like that, I'm sorry…"

"What are you sorry for? It's a genuine question!" X asked. He turned away and slowly eased himself to his feet, cringing as his back twinged in pain once again.

"Ralph told me there was something wrong with your back…" Cleo said suddenly.

"Just residual death damage, nothing to worry about… now, Stress built a place for… for Diana… right?" X quickly changed the subject away from his own ailments back to the task he originally came for. At the mention of her name, Scar looked away, then left the huddle of people. Cleo's face dropped as well, and she pointed in a direction glumly.

"That way… if you need anything, just give me a shout, okay?" With that, the zombie and her apparent adopted child left, with the others following them, a few looking back at him with various expressions on their faces. X sighed and started off in the direction Cleo had shown him, and presently came to a half submerged stone building covered in ice. Since the Hermits had no idea what to do with a permanent corpse, Stress had opted to go with refrigeration for now, in the hopes to ward off any decomposition. A strange thought to have when talking about a friend.

As Xisuma stood at the entrance to the icy crypt, he felt his knees go weak, and he let himself drop to the floor. He leaned his head against the wall, feeling a choking wave of inadequacy wash over him. 

"I'm sorry Diana… I can't do anything…" He whispered in despair. A hand was placed on his shoulder, and he turned his head to see Cub crouched beside him.

"Can't get her to change to survival?" He asked gently. X shook his head, demonstrating the command and the error he was getting. Cub stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Not found huh? Like she just doesn't exist…" 

"Or is well and truly dead." X said glumly. Cub's frown deepened as he thought back to remember something.

"Hmmmmm… Didn't she change her name as soon as she got a communicator?" He asked. Xisuma gasped.

"Of course! She did! Oh my days!" He grasped the communicator tightly as a new bubble of hope swelled within him. Then the bubble burst as he realized:

"Wait, what was her original name?" They both looked at each other, deep in thought.

"Do you know Flynn's name?" Cub suddenly suggested.

"Why Flynn?" X asked, confused.

"She'll have his surname." 

"Oh!" X's breath caught in his throat as he typed in the command while using this new information.

**<xisumavoid> /gamemode survival Diana_Rightwood**

** _Set Diana_Rightwood’s game mode to Survival Mode_ **

"It worked?"

Xisuma threw the door to the crypt open and rushed inside. He was met with a billowing puff of smoke and some items scattered on the floor.

"It worked!" He shouted in triumph. "It WORKED!" He fell to his knees, practically sobbing in relief.

"I don't mean to rain on your parade but… where would she respawn? She might not even be anywhere near us anymore..." Cub asked quietly. X's heart jolted, and he mashed in the command to locate her communicator. Cub blinked as he read the coordinates.

"That's spawn…" X said, and he leapt to his feet and sprinted out the door, launching into the air the first chance he got. Cub stood by, frozen for a moment, then went to collect the items Diana had dropped to store them away. He couldn’t help but feel a smile cross his face, since finally, something had gone right for a change.


	30. Freeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get chilly

As Mumbo stirred, he felt some rough heavy fabric holding him down. He groaned and flexed his leg out, feeling something damp wrapped around it. It was sore, with a deep ache emanating from inside the muscle, but he could ignore the pain if he concentrated on something else. 

Mumbo opened his eyes to darkness, and he flicked them around quizzically. Ah yes, they were in a small shelter a bajillion blocks away from home. He lifted his head, wondering just where Doc had managed to get a blanket from, only to realise the 'blanket' had a torn sleeve. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, wincing as he applied pressure to his injured leg, then folded and draped the coat over his arm. Without the cover of the thick fabric, the cold suddenly bit straight through his clothes, making him shiver.

He went to the door of the shelter and looked out, trying to spot where Doc was. Without the bright marker of his labcoat, he blended into the background scarily well, with the only indication of his presence being a the red glow of his cybernetic augmentations. Mumbo opened the door and stepped out, and the cold deepened even further. What on earth was Doc doing out here? The frosted grass crunched under his shoes, and the condensation from his breath billowed out from under his moustache. He limped towards the form of Doc, gasping as the freezing wetness soaked through the worn out soles of his shoes. Doc twitched slightly, then slowly turned his head.

"Hey Doc, what on earth are you doing out here?" Mumbo echoed his thoughts as he draped the labcoat over his shoulders. He flinched back when his fingers came into contact with Doc's shoulder, shocked at just how cold it was.

"Keeping watch." The cyborg slurred. Mumbo crouched down beside him.

"You can't keep watch with your eyes closed Doc…" He sighed. 

"With ears…" came the mumbled reply. Mumbo hooked his arms under Doc's own and tried to heave him back towards the shelter, only to find the cyborg way too heavy for him.

"Come on, get back inside you're freezing…" he ordered, trying his best to move him any way he could.

"No… need guard…" 

"Look, if anything does attack us you won't be able to fight back. You're practically a popsicle! Get inside, please." There was some pops as Doc finally freed himself from the frozen grass, and he let Mumbo lead him back to the shelter. Once back inside, Mumbo shut the door tightly and proceeded to fill the room with torches. He placed an excessive amount around where Doc was huddled, then sat down, rubbing his leg to soothe the ache.

"What on earth were you thinking?" He asked the half frozen hermit.

"I hear hunters. I fight hunters away. I watch for hunters." It seemed the cold had also frozen Doc's brain, if the half formed sentences were anything to go by. Mumbo sighed and pulled his labcoat tight around him, then he took off his own coat and tucked that around him too. He quickly found himself regretting the decision though, but by that point taking away the extra covering would be mean of him.

"Why is it so cold…" he mumbled to himself, checking in his inventory for anything that might help. Let's see… his tools, his armour, his elytra, 34 fireworks, 20 golden carrots, an egg, 29 redstone dust, 5 repeaters, two pistons, 3 pumpkin seeds, 6 pistons, 14 hoppers, a pair of leather trousers, 5 sticks, a quartz stair, 24 white wool, 17 more redstone dust, a flint and steel, 2 wooden slabs, 17 dirt, an oak sapling, 6 rotten meat, two string, 3 and a bit stacks of cobblestone...

Does redstone dust burn?

Mumbo rubbed his chin as he thought of the options his messy unorganized inventory gave him. If he was willing to brave the cold, he could go out and chop some wood. That plan was quickly dashed though; when he went to open the door, it rattled in its frame but remained firmly shut, and when Mumbo peered through a crack he saw a thick layer of ice had covered everything in sight. Thank goodness he'd brought Doc in before this. Also _ how _ is there so much ice? And… oh no… Herobrine's out there, he'd be freezing! At that realization, he thumped against the door, some part of him desperate to break out and find his friend. 

"Mnh?" A small sound from Doc quickly grounded him back into reality. Right, things to do. Mumbo turned back around and sat down opposite of him. The cyborg had finally opened his eye, and he was blinking sluggishly around at all the torches.

"Fire?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Mumbo replied, placing down a wooden slab and setting it alight. The reflection of the flame danced in Doc's eye as he focused on it intently.

"Yeeeaaaasss…" He hissed in an unexpectedly menacing way. Mumbo leaned back slightly.

"Okay, okay, don't be getting any ideas!" He stared at Doc with wide eyes as the cyborg leaned in closer to the flame.

"Dessstroooy…" 

"You're very much beginning to scare me."

Doc's eye followed a small branch of the flame as it licked around a plank that had come loose when what it was attached to burnt away.

"Ssssspread…." A grin had split his face.

"Doc please stop." Mumbo pleaded. The cyborg looked Mumbo dead in the eye. Then a horrifying hiss filled the small room. Mumbo couldn't suppress the terrified yell he let out as he scrambled in every direction at once to avoid the incoming explosion. But wait, there wasn't a creeper here? Except…

"Yeah, remind me to never ever let you get cold again." He harrumphed. Doc just chuckled slightly and laid down, still watching the fire as it burnt through the last of its fuel. Mumbo quickly added more before it died, and found himself drawing closer as the cold bit even deeper into his bones. How long would this last? Could they possibly survive it?

\--

He'd thought he'd escaped the far lands. The place where reality itself tears at the seams, logic is backwards and on it's head, and everything, _ EVERYTHING, _was going to try and kill you. From what Herobrine had seen of the area, they were in the higher elevations of the far lands, not a good place to be if you wanted to avoid the bitterly cold nights. And the wolves and sheep. Especially the sheep.

He huddled tightly to the cold rock wall behind him, watching the ice creep ever closer to him. There wouldn't even be a relief from it as the morning came, since it took until noon until the sun could shine down and begin melting the ice. Herobrine flexed his fingers, which were numb from both the bitter cold and the amount of fire he'd produced in the last… Who knows. When he went feral, he tended to lose track of time. A deep blade of grief cut into his heart when he once again remembered the reason. Diana… the one he so fondly thought of, that he'd come to think of as a daughter. Torn from him by the father she'd disowned. He buried his face into his knees, and his shoulders shook a he sobbed into the dirty fabric. Why can he never have something simple as a relationship?

Not to mention the ones he'd no doubt destroyed in his grief stricken fury. He remembered the faces, burnt into his mind like the scar from a branding iron. The thick grey helmet that couldn't protect the owner, a deceptively youthful face, gazing at him, terrified but hopeful that he was still there. One that all too quickly vanished into an inferno.

They were going to kill him.

The ice had reached his boots, and any attempt to shuffle further away was halted by a barrier of solid rock. He'd usually dig deeper into the ground to escape, but with the weakening exhaustion from his feral state, he'd barely be able to scratch out a handful of sand, let alone punch into solid rock. He simply watched in despair as the ice encrusted his boots, then slowly and painfully crept along his jeans. Every breath he took was also becoming sharper by the minute as the cold air froze the little remaining moisture inside of him.

He thought back to the moment he was shaken free of the grasp of insanity, to find that Doc was pinning him to the floor. His expression was one of anger and betrayal, and Herobrine didn't blame him. After all he'd been lead to believe he was a good person. What a joke! And Mumbo… Mumbo looked scared, scared of him. None too surprising.

The ice had reached his shoulders, and his tears had long since frozen his eyes shut. He relaxed the best he could, ignoring the stinging cold. Alone, in a freezing hole. Just what he deserved.

\--

The only conventionally flammable thing he had left were the sticks, and Mumbo knew that those would not last long at all. At least the room was feeling a lot warmer, and Doc was awake from whatever half aware state he was in previously. He had gotten as close to the fire as he could get and was shivering intensely.

"Look Mumbo, I'm very sensitive to the environment, if I get too cold I kind of… go out of it." He tried to explain. "Brain goes funny."

"Yeah! I can see that!" Mumbo squeaked, throwing a stick onto the fire.

"The hunters, they appeared while you were out, and I had to go and fight them off. By the time they went away, I had to sit down to rest for a minute. And then the cold set in. Made it hard for me to move." 

"Because you were frozen solid?" Mumbo suggested. Doc shook his head.

"No. It's just… like, when you do a load of running or lifting and your limbs just… I dunno, ache, and go weak and heavy?" He shrugged, unsure of whether he'd described lactic acid burn correctly since he didn't actually really get that feeling.

"Sooo… you're like a lizard? Can't move when cold."

"UH… yes. Sure." It wasn't exactly the image he was going for, but if it would get Mumbo off his back, fair enough.

"Okay, uh, bad news, we are out of fuel for this fire. I tried redstone. Didn't go over well." Mumbo took out a firework and inspected it. "And using gunpowder seems like a bad idea too. Do you think golden carrots will burn?" He dug out some repeaters, comparators and redstone torches. "I guess I could also get the wood out of these…"

"Mumbo, it's fine, the torches will do now." Doc shrugged off his labcoat, then Mumbo's coat that he was wearing underneath, and handed it back to Mumbo. "Don't freeze yourself either."

Mumbo took it gratefully and slipped it back on, and moved closer to the remains of the fire. He was feeling awfully tired, but knew that falling asleep from hypothermia was a terrible terrible idea. Doc was apparently feeling much the same, as he kept dropping slightly, then jerking back and shaking himself awake.

"Man, if only we had Herobrine here. He's probably all toasty somewhere with those fire powers of his. Why'd he have to run away…"

"Guilt from attacking us?" Mumbo hypothesised.

"I'm not sure what came over him, but what I saw back there… That wasn't _ him _." Doc sighed, his breath billowing into a cloud in the frigid air. "When it stops being so freaking cold, we gotta go find him…" 

"Yep." Mumbo agreed. "Let's just hope it isn't cold forever now..."

A sharp knock on the door made them both jump.

"Uh, occupied?" Mumbo quickly called out.

"I am well aware." Came a muffled gruff female voice.

"Mumbo this isn't a toilet! At least, I really hope it isn't one." Doc chuckled slightly. Mumbo got to his feet with an amused smile, and he peered out of the crack in the door to see who was outside.

"A hunter?" He asked, and there was a clack as Doc immediately armed himself with his trident.

"I guess you could say that." The voice replied. That was when the switch of recognition flicked in Mumbo's brain.

"Oh! You were the one who had a go at Flynn!" 

"Yup."

"Does that mean you are on our side?" He asked through the door.

"Most likely no, but I'm kinda out of options here." Came the answer. 

"Uh." Went both hermits at the exact same time. There was an extended period of silence from outside.

"Alright, fine, I'm on your side, let me in!" There came another knock, and the sound of something scraping down the frozen wood. "... Please."

Doc had his eye narrowed at the door.

"Do I…" However, Mumbo paid him no heed as he chipped at the ice sticking the door in place, and finally pulled it open. 

The woman on the other side was somehow both an impressive, yet also sorry sight. She sported several nasty looking wounds on her body, with the one on her chest emitting the telltale smoke of wither. She practically leapt inside and dropped to the floor in between a few torches. Mumbo quickly slammed the door closed, and turned to see her and Doc staring at one another.

"Oh." She exclaimed. "It's you."

The air was suddenly full of tension as the two stared each other down. The woman leaned towards Mumbo slightly.

“Why… have you got a creeper in here?” She whispered.

“A creeper? I mean… yeah… but… no… He’s not hostile!” Mumbo stammered back, quickly positioning himself between her and Doc. 

“Mumbo… Don’t trust her.” Doc told him.

“Never trust a creeper.” The woman retorted back before turning away and leaning against the wall. Mumbo was looking between the two, unsure of what to do now. 

“You two… uhhh… have history?” He awkwardly asked. “When? How?”

“Mumbo… I was kidnapped a few days ago. Did you not know this?” 

“I… did not.” Mumbo looked down, thoroughly ashamed at how ignorant he was of events that happened, especially something as big as one of their own being _ kidnapped_. 

"Is that why you're so… like, out of shape?" He questioned while fitting together a few puzzle pieces in his head.

"Yes. Blame her." Doc pointed to the woman, and she shot him a death glare. Mumbo sighed at the sight.

"You… really don't like him." He observed.

"Never trust a creeper." She hissed once again. Doc huffed in annoyance and turned away, muttering something under his breath. The thick silence filled the small room, punctuated only by the quiet crackle of torches. It seemed that there was nothing Mumbo could do to diffuse the situation any further, so he opted to lay down instead to rest his eyes, which were dry and stinging from being exposed to a close hot flame.

The temperature of the room was at a bearable level now, in which it would be safe to sleep in, so it was not long before he found himself drifting off. He tried several times to shake himself awake, but it became harder and harder every time he did so, and eventually he relented to the cozy darkness.


	31. Close call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which someone has to suddenly come to terms with things about himself that he'd rather not think about.

Xisuma practically launched himself into the portal and stumbled out onto the platform. His helmet hit the ground with a hard clack, and he let out a breath at the impact.

"Diana?" He gasped, looking out to see where she was. His eyes caught sight of a shape crumpled right on the spawn point, and he got to his feet and ran towards it.

"Diana!" X practically skidded to a stop over her still form, and he collapsed to his knees and lifted her into his arms slightly. She seemed to be unconcious; her breathing was very shallow and she was stone cold, a trait that sent a spike of panic through X. He lifted her off the floor and ran back towards the nether portal, then stepped through.

Every minute that the trip back through the nether took them found X clinging tighter to Diana's form, as if he was trying to squeeze the life back into her. Finally, he came to the portal leading to the camp and jumped in, each second of the time it took to teleport him between dimensions feeling like an eternity. Finally, he reappeared in the overworld, and stumbled out right into Cub's waiting arms.

"Woah, hey!" 

"Is she okay? Oh… oh no… follow me!" Cub gave X no time to answer, simply turning on the spot and making his way towards a building that looked to actually be completed finally. X ran after him, and Cub stood aside to let him into the building first. 

"The bed, over there." X didn't need telling; he was already over at the bed and laying Diana down on it. He shifted slightly to let Cub have access to her, then sat down in a chair beside the bed to stop the incessant tapping of his boots on the floor as he fidgeted nervously. After a short while, Cub stepped back, his face looking grim.

"She's severely hypothermic… I need to go grab some supplies. Cover her in blankets, make sure she's still breathing and still has a pulse, do not do anything else. I'll send Scar in to assist." And with that, Cub left the room. X followed his instructions, cocooning Diana in a layer of blankets, and even adding some more woolen carpets from his own inventory. At that moment, Scar burst in through the door and rushed over to them.

"Oh my god, she's alive?? What happened she looks so pale why is she so cold X help her-" Xisuma rested a hand on Scar's shoulder, making him freeze.

"Don't worry, Cub's going to help her." He reassured the freaked out hermit.

"Why are you not doing anything?" Scar asked accusingly.

"Cub told me to only keep an eye on her as he went to fetch supplies." X explained.

"He said to just leave her to freeze? What was he thinking??" Scar lurched towards Diana, but found himself being held back by X.

"What are you-"

"SCAR! Scar! Relax, please! I know that is scary, and how you feel. But do you not trust your friend to know what he is doing?" Scar turned around to look Xisuma in the eye, then broke his gaze to look at the floor and nod slightly.

"I do…" he whispered. 

"If we do anything brash, it might hurt her more. Plus, Cub is back." He turned to see the bald hermit standing in the doorway. He came over to them and set down a few shulker boxes, then nodded to Scar.

"Should we stay to help?" X asked. 

"I'd prefer you not to so I can concentrate the best I can." Cub answered. Scar stepped away and out of the building, but X hovered by the door for a moment.

"Good luck, my friend." He said. To both of them.

\--

Mumbo awoke once again to find a warm layer of fabric covering him. 

"Mnrhh… Doc you don't have to…" he murmured.

"Wasn't me." Doc replied gruffly. Mumbo's eyes flew open and he blinked around. Sure enough, the blanket was yellow instead of white, and Doc still had his labcoat on.

"Wait, so who…"

"The hunter." Mumbo looked towards the woman, and saw she was also fast asleep. She'd removed part of her armour while Mumbo was out, and several bandages could be seen through the tears in her shirt.

"Oh." He shifted and pulled the blanket off, then folded it and placed it down beside her. Then he turned to Doc, and noticed in alarm just how tired the cyborg looked.

"Did you sleep at all?" He asked. Doc shook his head.

"Didn't want to get shivved in my sleep by miss 'never trust a creeper' there…" he growled.

"Well… how about I keep watch now, you get some sleep?" Mumbo suggested. Doc shook his head again.

"We gotta find Herobrine, remember?" He got to his feet, and made his way over to the door.

"So, what's the game plan now then?" Mumbo asked.

"I want to get a good look at this place… maybe climb to the top. Then we can figure out where that guy would go to hide." Doc kicked the door open, shattering the thinning layer of ice and scattering the crystals around outside. He stepped into the dim light, the frost crunching underfoot, then turned around to beckon Mumbo out.

"No time to waste."

"B-but the cold?" Mumbo stuttered, the image of the crazed look in Doc's eye from last night flashing to the forefront of his mind.

"Should be fine if we keep moving. Come on." Without any more protest, Mumbo followed Doc outside, shutting the door behind him. Doc had made his way over to a cliff, and was tapping on the rock with his trident thoughtfully. He then proceeded to dig it into the cliff and use it as leverage to start scaling the steep wall.

Mumbo looked down and took out his pickaxes, frowning slightly, then slammed them into the rock, using them as climbing picks to haul himself after Doc. His worn out shoes skidded over the cliff face, and he yelped out in fear as he felt himself drop. A hand grasped the back of his jacket, stopping his fall abruptly, and he kicked his legs out at the sight of the dizzying drop below him.

"Aaah, aaaaaah!! Don't drop me don'tdropmedon'tdropme-" 

"Relax man, I got you." Doc grumbled from above him. His sentence was followed by the screeching of metal digging into rock. "But please get back onto the cliff quickly…"

"Right." Mumbo swung his picks back into the rock, and managed to find a foothold to stand in. He leaned in as close to the cliff face as much as he could, trying to recover his heart rate from the close call he'd just had. Meanwhile, Doc continued his climb, and he had found a small ledge to rest on. He peered back down at Mumbo, waiting for the fellow hermit patiently.

Mumbo shakily started climbing again, noting in alarm how his palms were slick with sweat, and slipping from the handles of the picks. The injury to his leg finally rose to the surface, spreading a deep ache throughout the muscle. His leg was not the only aching part of his body though; his shoulders also complained from holding onto his weight, his hands were raw from gripping the pickaxes so tightly, and his feet had stabbing pains all throughout from resting his bodyweight on awkwardly shaped surfaces. Not to mention just how his lungs burned and his stomach cramped from exertion. Why did he ever agree to do this?

"Come in man, just a little further!" Came an encouraging voice from above. But it sounded so far away…

Something flashed before his vision, and Mumbo focused on it to see it was the head of a trident. Without even thinking about it, he grabbed onto it, then let out a surprised yelp as he was suddenly pulled towards Doc. The lanky redstoner collapsed on top him, knocking him onto his back. Doc laid there, feeling extremely awkward at the current situation, but pushed the feeling down when he felt just how much Mumbo was trembling. 

"Change of plans, we dig a tunnel." He told him. "Ready when you are."

"I'm not… Give me a minute please…" Mumbo gasped.

"Take your time." Doc looked away, then closed his eyes to still the spinning going on in his own head.

"Oh man… I feel like I'm going to be sick…" Mumbo groaned, echoing Doc's thoughts exactly.

"Not all over me please." He grinned as a sudden thought came to him. "Try aiming for that woman down there instead."

"That's rude!" Came the somewhat indignant reply. However, Mumbo did shift himself off of Doc to face out over the edge, just in case.

In the time they had taken to climb this short way, the sky had lightened slightly, softening from a deep navy to a more cornflower blue. The stars in the sky were so much different from usual… 

"Okay… I think I'm good… uuuuuh… wakey wakey?" Mumbo's sudden voice startled Doc, and he snapped his eyes open to see Mumbo looking down at him. He rolled over and got to his feet, then took his pick out and stuck it in the wall. Mumbo stepped forward to help him, and presently the two were digging a tunnel towards the top. Problems soon aside though when they broke into the first pitch black cavern filled with spiders.

"I guess we have to be careful around that…" Mumbo mused while quickly noping away from the wriggling mass of legs and back into the tunnel. 

Then they broke into 3 more caverns, each one containing more mobs than the last. 

When they kicked the wall down and found 30 creepers staring at them, they finally realized maybe something wasn't right with this place. The earth was never usually this honeycombed, and never at all so infested with mobs. Doc had picked 4 silverfish out of his pockets already, and Mumbo had found a tiny cave spider in his hair.

He was in the process of shaking said miniscule arachnid off his hand when he heard the fearful gasp from Doc. Mumbo grimaced as the bug dropped to the floor and scurried off into a small crack, trying to not turn to see what had scared _ Doc _ of all people. Unfortunately, curiosity got the better of him, and his blood ran cold at the sight of the horde of green monsters. One of them suddenly galloped towards them, making Mumbo scream and scramble backwards. The two Hermits turned and ran, not daring to look back and see the multitudes of creepers filing into the tunnel after them.

Unfortunately, with Mumbo leading the way, it was guaranteed to abruptly halt with them staring at a dead end. Mumbo smashed his hand against the cobblestone blockade that was the only thing between them and another horde- this time of undead. They were trapped. He ducked his head down, feeling a suffocating wave of despair wash over him as he realized just what he'd gotten them into.

"I'm so sorry Doc… I'm so so sorry…" Doc eyed the incoming crowd of green, and dug out some holes in the wall to see what options they had. Every direction away from the creepers quickly had arrows flying through the gaps though. They were well and truly trapped. He placed a few cobble down, blocking the tunnel and holing the two into the tiny space. With them safe-ish for the time being, Doc looked around to see Mumbo crouched on the floor in a state of despondency, and he sat down beside him in hopes that he could offer a little comfort.

"I'm sorry…" Mumbo mumbled again, his face firmly planted in his knees. Doc sighed and draped his organic arm around Mumbo's shoulders.

"You don't have anything to feel bad over, Mumbo…" 

"Yes I do! I got us into this whole mess!" Mumbo sniffed. 

"Listen, man, I would have probably led us to a dead end too. You were panicking, it's alright…"

"No, not this particular mess!" Mumbo threw his arms out to gesture all around him. "This _ entire _ mess! Being here in this… place! Lost, stranded, who knows what!"

He buried his face back in his knees and curled into an impossibly small ball. His shoulders shook slightly as he silently sobbed into his trousers. Doc wrapped his other arm around him and rested his chin on Mumbo's head, unsure of what to do in the situation.

The scratches of claws on the stone wall that separated them from the creeper tangle caught his attention, and he stared at the wall in worry. Did they know they were in there? Creepers did not have a good concept of object permanence; as far as they should be concerned, the two of them no longer existed. At least in theory. The fact they seemed to be trying to get through the wall to them said otherwise.

"Look, Mumbo. I don't think I can say anything to convince you that you are not to blame here, but right now, there's more important matters at hand. So please… don't just sit here. We can get through this." He smiled at Mumbo, but the moment was interrupted by an explosion that shook the small room.

Doc instinctively shielded Mumbo from the blast, and grunted as bits of cobble bounced off his back. They looked around to see the creepers glaring at them. Mumbo coughed as the dust got into his lungs while Doc leapt to his feet, trident out and ready to strike. The closest creeper hissed menacingly as it padded forward, and it sent a shiver down Doc's spine.

_ Prey. _

He forced himself to breathe slowly, and let out a fierce hiss back at them. The first creeper paused as it heard it's prey challenge them back in its own language.

_ Leave. _He told the monster.

It hissed back.

_ Destroy. _

Behind it, the rest of the creepers shuffled restlessly, peering around the first one to watch the situation.

_ You me. _ One of them fizzled. Doc looked down at himself, surprised that for once a creeper had recognised him as one of their own kind.

_ Me you. _He confirmed back.

_ No destroy. _

_ Destroy prey. _ The first one snapped it's teeth together. The excited hisses rolled through the tunnel.

_ Prey! Prey! Prey! Prey! _

Doc growled at them, making a few flinch away.

_ No prey. Destroy. _

The creeper tilted its head slightly.

_ You destroy prey. _

_ Me destroy you. _

With that, Doc produced the most intimidating hiss he could and stepped forward, toting his trident in front of him. Several of the creepers crept away, but others refused to back down. Several of them had locked their sights on Mumbo, who had backed into the rock as far as he could, utterly confounded by how they were not a red stain on a wall yet. Was Doc… _ talking _ to them?

Doc gritted his teeth as he advanced towards the tangle. He could feel his heart pumping a mile a minute, and he knew that the creepers could sense the fear he had. It seemed to just make them evermore excited, and he realised at that moment that no one was getting out of the situation unscathed. With a savage roar, he brought the trident down on the first creeper, splitting it down the middle. The next two in line watched the corpse disappear, then snarled at him and ran forward.

Their shaggy plant like covering bristled angrily, and Doc could see the small pods that contained the spores of future creeper generations underneath. His hand instinctively scratched at his back, over where his own would have been if he hadn't of ripped them from his skin so many years ago. He shook his head, clearing the inhuman thoughts and stabbed out again, piercing a creeper through the throat, and twisting to tear it open. The hiss turned into a horrific gurgle as the creeper collapsed, but more quickly took its place, advancing towards them, rasping the chilling chant of the way of the creeper.

_ Spread. Destroy. Spread. Destroy. Spread. _

Under the strain of the internal conflict, his mind finally cracked.

\--

Mumbo curled into himself as tightly as he could, squeezing his eyes shut and blocking his ears. He remained that way for seemingly hours, when in reality, it was only a few minutes at most. Finally, the noise died away, and Mumbo looked to see Doc hunched into a quivering ball among several piles of gunpowder. He uncurled himself and crawled towards the cyborg, slipping in beside him.

"A-are they gone?" He asked shakily. The only response he got was what could only be described as a throaty squeak, and Doc scrambled away from him, his eye wide. Mumbo realised then with a jolt that Doc was as terrified as he was, perhaps even more so. Not to mention the fact he had just murdered a large number of his own kind.

"Doc… I-" 

"Save it. Let's go." The cyborg's voice was unusually high pitched, further betraying just how petrified he really was. Mumbo simply nodded and helped him stand, then stood aside as Doc took the lead once again. Doc remained silent as they walked, his mouth clamped shut to prevent everything inside him from spilling out, literally and figuratively. Mumbo took out his pickaxe and started digging into the rock once again. Doc watched him go with dull eyes, not really having the energy to help him. That was when a strange sound reached his ears. He grabbed Mumbo on the shoulder, making the redstoner freeze in place, and listened around him. At the very edge of his hearing, there came a sound. A growl, then a whimper. 

"Someone's here…" He whispered.

"What?" Mumbo asked, listening out. He strained his ears but did not hear anything, however, Doc had taken his pick out and started digging, downwards this time. Mumbo followed behind him, confused and slightly concerned that his friend had finally lost it. Nevertheless, he followed right behind him, and soon Doc had tunneled into yet another cave. However, this one was small, barely big enough to stand in, and it was slick with ice. Mumbo was focusing on not slipping over when he heard Doc gasp.

"Herobrine!!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mucked around with the paragraphs a bit, now that I'm not posting from my phone. should be more legible now :)


	32. Recovered Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they're back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with updated Swedish thanks to my readers! <3

Cold… dark… hurts…

…

Light…?

…

……

Diana's eyelid flickered very slightly, but it was enough to catch Cub's attention. He leaned over her, watching for any more signs of life with his heart in his throat. Finally, she opened her eye.

"Diana? Can you hear me?" Cub called out to her. If she did, she showed no signs of it. Cub sighed and turned back to his brewing stand, only to be pulled away again when he heard the tiniest of sounds from the bed behind him. Her eye seemed to flick over to land on Cub, but it looked unfocused, indicating she was not alert just yet. He sat back, waiting patiently, then looked over to the fire he had going in the hearth of a furnace, noting that it was dying down. As soon as she was awake for real, Cub knew she would be okay. But until then… all he could do was wait.

  
\--

The world was just bright coloured blobs. Diana could not remember anything that happened before the darkness, so she stopped trying to remember. It was too taxing to do so. She moved her eye, and to her surprise, the blobs moved as well. They flickered, then shrunk into more definable shapes as she watched, making her blink. There was a shadow standing over her, and she could hear a faint mumble over the deafening ringing in her ears. She squinted at the shadow, trying to make out details. Why did it seem so familiar…? She frowned and focused on the noise, trying to figure out what it was.

"...ana? Are you awake?"

Everything came rushing back.

  
  


\--

_The voice was silent._

_It had been ages since he'd last heard it speak. Although... The voice, Notch it had called itself, did not seem to like him. So maybe it being gone was for the better. _

_He, the Hero with the name of Brine, simply wandered the world Notch had created. It wasn't created for him, he had discovered. He was created for it. To be the one to figure out how the world worked._

_ However, Notch might not talk to him anymore, but that did not mean Notch was gone. As time went on, more new things appeared. Animals populated the land during the day time, new colours and textures appeared as he went. His curiosity took him into the depths of the earth to find beautiful new minerals. Once, a hard blue rock, translucent and brilliant._

_Over time, as the world grew, he found himself growing too. His flames became hotter and brighter, his eyes peirced into the darkness, mobs began to fear his presence. He felt powerful. This world was at his hands._

_There was another him in the distance._

...

His gut twisted painfully, tearing him out of his sleep and back into the small icy cave he'd taken shelter in. Herobrine winced at the sensation, bracing himself until the pang passed. He opened one eye to look around, and noted that the light filtering in from the entrance indicated that morning had broken. However, the ice was as thick as ever, and he still felt too weak to even attempt to break out. He sighed to himself and attempted to relax, but was struck once again by yet another painful hunger pang. Ugh.

If there was one thing Herobrine hated about the most about losing his mind and going on a murder spree more than anything else, it was just how desperately hungry it left him afterwards. Spending the night half frozen did not help either, as he was now trapped and unable to leave to find something to eat. So now he just sat, listening to his own stomach growl angrily at him, hoping that the ice would melt away soon. He almost didn't notice the explosion from nearby, only being alerted to it by the vibration that didn't come from inside his own body. His eyes flicked around nervously, trying to figure out just where it came from.

Trying to sense any nearby energy was useless; for one thing, he was too addled from hunger to focus much on anything, and secondly he was also surrounded by miles of rock and ice, which did well to disguise anything that might be behind it. Defeated, he opted to just ignore it.

Then the pick came through the wall.

Herobrine whimpered slightly when he saw just who climbed out of the newly dug hole. His mind went wild, thinking of every possible horrible thing Doc would do to him now he'd been discovered. 

"Herobrine??"

Sure enough, the cyborg's face was contorted in anger as he approached, and Herobrine squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, waiting for the inevitable pain.

"What are you doing out here, man? Why'd you run off? Oh crap, are you… frozen??" A warm hand was placed on his shoulder, then jerked away. "Dude… " Herobrine felt his breathing quicken involuntarily as the two Hermits loomed over him, and he flinched away as far as the ice would let him. The sound of some sort of weapon being toted sent a wave of panic through his mind, and the words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop the.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry I don't know what happened to me, I'm sorry I hurt you I don't want to hurt you I'm so sorry please don't hurt me please-"

"Hero?? We're not going to hurt you! What has gotten into you?" Mumbo grabbed the panicking man by his shoulders and shook him slightly, making his gasp and open his eyes. The sheer amount of terror they held tore Mumbo's heart in two, and he had to restrain himself from just embracing him there and then to tell him that everything was okay. He was still half encased in a block of ice after all. Doc kept chipping away, brushing the loose ice crystals out of the way as he worked. He kept his gaze focused on his hands as to not scare Herobrine any more than he already had, but he still nudged Mumbo slightly and whispered: 

"Give him a headpat or something. He's about to bolt."

"Uh… okay…" Mumbo shuffled forward a bit, then awkwardly ruffled Herobrine's hair a bit. To his surprise, he leaned into it and closed his eyes, so Mumbo continued while grinning slightly. In that time, Doc had cleared the rest of the ice and sat back, giving the two space. Mumbo took his hand off Herobrine's head and smiled, then blinked in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around him. He returned the hug tightly, noting in alarm just how much it felt like he was hugging a rock instead of a living being. 

"Thank you…" The whisper was barely perceptible, but Mumbo heard it all the same. He sighed and gave Herobrine's back a light rub, then broke away. Herobrine then proceeded to dig his arms into the hollow under his ribs, curl into a ball and groan. Mumbo's heart jumped into his throat.

"Are you hurt? Did we hurt you? Did the hunters hurt you?" 

As if to answer Mumbo's worried queries, Herobrine's stomach let out an angry gurgle at being ignored for too long.

"Inside hurting…" He whispered.

"Oh… you're just hungry." Mumbo observed, then burst into laughter. Herobrine nodded.

"I feel like I haven't eaten in a year…" He admitted. "Like… I usually only feel like this when I don't eat for a year…" Doc raised an eyebrow.

"But… how would you know what that feels like? People can't live that long without food…" Mumbo had shut his mouth, and was back to looking a little concerned, like usual.

"Actually, my limit is around ten years." Herobrine shuddered and looked down. "P-please don't ask how I came to know that…"

Both Doc and Mumbo were staring at him with wide eyes, and Mumbo fished a golden carrot out and offered it to him. He took it and chomped it down in a few bites, top included, then smiled thankfully at Mumbo. Doc looked away, mumbling "No wonder I could count your ribs…" under his breath, then turned towards the light leading out into the open.

"Oh hey, we're nearly at the top! Come on guys!"

"Uh-" Herobrine wanted to inform them of the reason why climbing to the top of the far lands was _ not _a good idea, but Mumbo and Doc were already halfway out of the tiny cave by the time he opened his mouth. Slowly, he rose to his feet, cringing as the leftover ice popped and grated at his joints, then limped after them out into the open. The sky had lightened yet further, disguising the stars behind the soft blue glow, and the edge of the sun was peeping through the towering spires of rock and dirt.

"Y'know… this place really is kind of beautiful…" Doc exclaimed. "Maybe we can live here next season!"

"No. No live here, food bad idea sheep very sun bad, everything kills cold nothing lives even you, nope." Herobrine stammered away, trying to say so many things at once that the words got mashed together into a spillage of half sentences.

"... I'll give you a minute there." Mumbo said. Herobrine shook his head, both to clear it and say no.

"Don't have a minute. Sun is strong here, it'll kill you if you stay this high. Cold is strong here too, but you know that already. There's next to nothing we can live off of, mobs are weird, physics don't work right in several places, reality is barely real… not good place to live." He managed to enunciate somewhat clearly.

"What about the sheep?" Doc asked, his arms crossed.

"Don't trust the sheep." Herobrine swallowed nervously, his arms still tightly wrapped around himself. Mumbo smiled at him reassuringly and offered half of the carrots he had remaining to him, and he took them gratefully. He looked away from Herobrine and out over the cliff edge, marvelling at the sights of the twisted land, while thinking about what the man who was currently inhaling golden carrots next to him had said. So the beauty held hidden danger… his thoughts quickly drifted away from the meaning of the words to the sound of them. He'd never heard Herobrine speak so many sentences at once before, and with a high amount of speech came a familiar accent that wouldn't be expressed in 3 word utterances or writing. Familiar in that a close friend of his also possessed such an accent, and even an infectious laugh to boot.

"Hey Hero… are you Swedish?" Mumbo asked him. Herobrine jumped slightly and blinked at Mumbo, then swallowed a chunk of carrot.

"What's a swedish?" He asked. Mumbo fiddled with his moustache a bit, trying to figure out how to explain. 

"It's like… where you're from? I'm British, Doc over there is German… Iskall's Swedish, and you two… sound… similar… in the way you talk. Are you from Sweden?"

"I'm… from the green." Herobrine told him, confusing Mumbo greatly.

"The green?" 

"A green plane of ground. I could break. I could place. The green hide grey underneath." Herobrine bent over and dug into the grass, removing some as if to demonstrate. Mumbo was gripping his facial adornment tightly, utterly confounded as to what Herobrine meant.

"Like… A superflat world?" He asked finally. The confused look he got told him no. Mumbo sighed, almost dropping the subject before having an idea. He frowned as he tried to think back to the tiny amount of Swedish Iskall had taught him in order to fulfill his duty as given to him by a certain malformed vegetable.

"Ahem, uh… Hej… allihopa… det här … är Mumbo… ock… oh dear…" 

Herobrine was staring at Mumbo like he'd sprouted a second moustache.

"Inte dåligt." He replied simply. Mumbo smiled.

"So you are Swedish? Or at least speak it?" Herobrine gave him a blank stare.

"Jag förstår inte…" He mumbled, turning away. Mumbo sighed.

"We should talk to Iskall when we get back. He can explain better than me." 

"Ice cold?" 

"Oh whatever…" Mumbo shook his head in an attempt to clear the subject. 

"You going to stand there forever? We got places to get to man!" Doc called down to them from above. Mumbo took out the cobble in his inventory to build a noob pillar with, while Herobrine jumped and climbed the cliff so quickly one could mistaken him for a gecko. A few minutes later, all three were at the very top, sitting on a small plateau of oddly burnt looking grass and watching the sky turn from blue to yellow. 

"We… Shouldn't be here for long…" Herobrine mumbled, picking at the scorched plants in front of him. Doc was examining the grass closely, his brow furrowed as he studied every detail, while Mumbo was taking the time to look out over the frankly spectacular view. A sudden beep startled all three of them, and Mumbo instantly scrambled his communicator out of his pocket and turned it on. He gasped as he read the message.

**<xisumavoid > MumboJumbo> Mumbo? Can you read this?**

"The communicators can connect from here!!" He cried in relief, and quickly started typing a message.

**<MumboJumbo > xisumavoid> We found a place the communicators work. Can you tp us back please?**

He watched the screen intently, waiting for the answer.

**<xisumavoid > MumboJumbo> those commands don't work on things outside the set border. And I cannot increase it out that far.**

"Bollocks…"

**<Xisuma > MumboJumbo> how are things out there?**

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> very odd. We found Hero and managed to calm him down though.**

**<Xisuma > MumboJumbo> that's good. How is doc?**

Mumbo looked to his cyborg companion, who was also busy on his own device. His eyes drifted to the sweat beading on Doc's forehead, and the subtle shaking of his hands as he held the communicator. All signs among the many that Doc displayed of hiding that he was barely keeping himself together. 

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> im kind of worried about him.**

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> I think he's in worse shape than he's letting on.**

**<Xisuma > MumboJumbo> do remind him to eat. He often forgets. **

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> okay?**

**<Xisuma > MumboJumbo> or refuses.**

He chose to ignore that last message.

"Hey Doc, when's the last time you ate?" Mumbo asked.

"Sizuma told you to say that didn't he?" He turned away, but Mumbo could see the small smile on his face as he typed. The communicator pinged.

**<Xisuma > MumboJumbo> you could have been a bit more subtle.**

**<MumboJumbo > Xisuma> doesn't seem like a thing to be subtle about.**

** _Xisuma has invited you to a group chat _ ** **Far lands**

"Seems coming all the way up here was the best idea I've ever had…" Doc mumbled.

\--

The door swung open under the hard kick from Xisuma's boot, and he looked inside to see both Cub and Diana starting at him with wide eyes.

"Diana! You're okay!" He shouted gleefully. The woman nodded slightly and blinked, as if she was trying to understand the world around her. Cub's surprised face had turned into one of annoyance.

"X, what is the meaning of you barging in right now? I'm kind of busy." The admin waved his communicator frantically.

"I can contact them! Or rather, they figured out how to contact me!" He opened the chat to see 5 new messages from Doc, and 2 more in the group he'd created.

"Okay, but why come and tell me?" Cub asked, trying to disguise the relief in his voice.

"I… may need Diana's assistance in a few things I've been told." He explained, then scuffed his foot against the wooden floor bashfully. "Also wanted to see how Diana was."

Cub sighed and handed the steaming mug he was holding to Diana, who took it and sipped at the contents. He sat down, then indicated to the chair beside him, and Xisuma perched himself on the edge of it, still clutching his communicator.

"Do tell then." 

"Well, I can only assume that they are, in fact, in the far lands. Like, the actual far lands, with all that crazy terrain. The hunters are also there, and there was a bit of fighting. Mumbo's hurt, Doc's still in bad shape, but they managed to get through to Herobrine. I think right now they're hanging out together at the very top, which is the only location that they can reach us." He looked into the group chat and blinked in surprise.

**|-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗ joined**

**<͉|-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗> h**

"Whadappend?" Came a mumble from the bed, causing X to look over to see Diana placing the now empty mug on a table. He blinked, then remembered with a jolt that she wasn't actually present for all of the events that occurred. At least, not in an alive form.

"Just after you… uh… ahem… Herobrine lost his mind a bit…" X's back twinged, and he rubbed it soothingly. "He went out and attacked everyone, and… Flynn pulled him through a portal, and Mumbo, Doc and a few of the hunters went with him. We had no idea where they went until now." Diana blinked slowly, absorbing the information, then grimaced.

"Thas… like thurdy… gainst three…" she mumbled.

"Oh, uh… many of the hunters left the group after what… happened… I think around 15,16 went through? And with the amount of damage Herobrine was doing at that point…" X shuddered, almost feeling the ripping of flesh once again.

"They said they managed to fight them off." He finished with a squeak.

"Where tha res?" She asked. Cub shifted awkwardly.

"They are… kind of just… hanging around. We don't know what to do yet, they don't know what to do yet. Everything is a mess."

"Aah…" Diana looked a bit uncomfortable at the thought of being surrounded one again by those who had held her captive for so long, and X couldn't think of any reason to justify why she shouldn't be. She swallowed nervously, then steeled herself and looked X in the eyes.

"So, whad you need me for?" 

"Doc's still very much under the effects of the parasite, if his description of how he's feeling is anything to go by." X turned his chat to that of Doc's, and held it so Diana and Cub could see. Diana squinted at the words, and began to read.

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> how are things going back in reality?**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> I think we're in the far lands, if our coordinates are anything to go by**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> it's kind of pretty here. herobrine said that we shouldn't do season 7 here though.**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> oh yeah herobrine's back to his old self. only tried to murder me twice.**

**<Xisuma > Docm77>are you doing okay?**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> all good**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> did you seriously tell mumbo to tell me to eat something?**

**<Xisuma > Docm77> I didn't think he would just straight tell you! does he not understand subtlety?**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> it's mumbo**

**<Xisuma > Docm77> fair point.**

**<Xisuma > Docm77> but seriously, take care of yourself and you might not feel so bad**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> I'm fine**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> don't listen to mumbo he worries about everything**

**<Xisuma > Docm77> I'm making a group chat for us. also you really don't have to hide things from me.**

** _You have invited Docm77 to the group chat _ ** **Far lands**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> alright, fine!**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> the thing diana talked about is still around. I feel constantly drained and dizzy, it feels like something is constricting me from the inside out. **

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> I physically can't eat because it's too tight and I don't even feel hungry. I think it's getting worse.**

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> you know how I usually get when I dont eat. something must really be wrong **

**<Docm77 > Xisuma> what do I do???**

Cub leaned back, his face thoughtful, while Diana just blinked and stared blankly.

"I admit… I really was not expecting him to just unload all that at once. So whatever it is must be affecting him really _ really _ badly." X sighed and took the communicator away. "It's alarming to see him so scared…"

"_Flora parasita _ should be dead. Did they make one that can feed off flesh?" Diana scratched her chin slowly, deep in thought.

"Unless Doc's like one big pl-" She froze, her eye wide in sudden realization.

"Oh no."

Cub looked over to her with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"No! I'm an idiot! A complete and utter brain dead moron! Of course the plant won't die! It feeds off plant matter!" Xisuma and Cub looked at each other, confused.

"Uh, yes, and?"

"_Excintacit- _ uh, creepers! They're plant that perfectly mimic animals, basically, so it would have no problem growing in them!" She looked at the blank gaze of the two Hermits and felt a twinge of annoyance at their ignorance.

"WHAT IS DOC??" She shouted.

X stepped back, shocked at her yell, but sudden clarity crashed over him. Cub still looked clueless.

"A cyborg?" He suggested.

"He's a- oh… oh my days!" X covered where his mouth would be in horror. "That thing is eating him alive!"

"EXACTLY!! They gotta get it out of him, like, right now!" Diana leaned her head in her hands dejectedly.

"Wait… Doc is actually a creeper?" Cub asked quietly. X fixed him with a confused gaze as he fumbled with his communicator.

"What… did you think he was?" Cub shrugged.

"Never really thought about it. He was always just… Doc the mad scientist. Maybe in recent months an alien, because of the whole area 77 thing. Never crossed my mind that he'd be a creeper." 

Despite the grim situation, Diana couldn't help but smile. These people had accepted someone so different from all of them in as one of their own without batting an eye. No wonder Herobrine was so unexpectedly welcome here.

"Wait, no! Don't leave!" Xisuma suddenly shouted, making both her and Cub jump.

"Wha?" X turned his communicator around to display the message.

**<MumboJumbo> we gotta go, the sun is getting too hot here. ttyl**

**<Docm77> everything's on fire! Haha**

**<|͉-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗> We can return at sunset.**

**<͉|-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗> Doc, please don't set your labcoat on fire.**

"What… W-Where on earth are they?? The nether? Wait, sun… uh…" Diana blinked.

"Far lands." Xisuma replied, typing out his important message. "Let's just hope they receive this…"


	33. Snap!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which falls came before pride which came before falls.

The three of them huddled in Herobrine’s icy refuge, slightly singed and also getting cold. Herobrine had alerted them to the fact that the far lands sun was unforgiving at higher altitudes maybe a little too late, and with a panicked message to Xisuma about the situation, they had quickly left to take shelter below.

“Okay, who’s idea was it to make a place that is literally on fire during the day?” Mumbo grumbled. “And then making it so it freezes over at night?”

“No one.” Herobrine sighed. “I did say the sun hurt.”

“We going back down?” Doc asked while looking out into the flickering landscape. “I reckon we could glide down quickly enough.” 

“Uh…” The two hermits turned to look at Herobrine, who was currently wingless. Doc chewed on his lip for a moment, then handed his own elytra to him.

“I can climb down.”

“Also, I have fireworks. Why did you climb?” Mumbo asked. Doc turned to him, his expression one that screamed ‘Really?’

“Couldn’t have let me know sooner?” He growled, and Mumbo flinched away.

“I mean, if we did fly, we wouldn't have found Hero?” He quickly tried to cover for himself. Doc sighed, unable to argue. It really was luck they’d run into the Cryptid at all.

“Okay… You two fly back down, I’ll be there soon. Might want to introduce Hero to our new… ‘Friend’ as well. She sure as hell won’t take an introduction from me.” Herobrine looked between Doc and Mumbo, feeling slightly concerned, but he proceeded to shrug on the elytra and walk out of the cave anyway. The three stood at the edge of the cliff, and Mumbo smiled at Doc before jumping off.

“Cya in a minute!” Herobrine lingered however, not wanting to leave Doc alone in the Far lands. The cyborg sensed his reservations though, and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Go on, man, I’ll be fine! Mumbo needs more help than me!” He grinned, but it did not reach his eye. With a sigh, Herobrine turned away and let himself drop, opening the elytra to catch the air underneath. He spied the receding shape of Mumbo and dived down towards him, only looking back once to see that Doc was not present on the ledge any longer. 

\--

As soon as Herobrine had left the ledge, Doc had turned and gone back into the cave, then sank to the floor, letting out a shaky breath. He was running on fumes by this point, utterly exhausted. 

“Freakin…” He thumped his fist against his chest, right over the scar that held the dratted plant that was still trying it’s damndest to take him down. An involuntary shiver ran through him, making him gasp slightly. He hated being so weak, but he refused to back down, to be defeated by a stupid bundle of vines that had no deal existing in the first place.

_ Okay, enough feeling sorry for yourself, get back to the others. _

Steeling himself against the dizziness, Doc rose to his feet, using the wall as support. Looking around, He spotted the tunnel that him and Mumbo had emerged from earlier, and set off towards it, ducked into the narrow hole and climbing into the sprawling line of tunnels that they'd left behind in their attempts to dig their way safely to the top. It was dark without Mumbo holding a torch, however Doc's nocturnal vision could peek through the darkness well enough. However, he constructed some torches out of spare planks and coal to light the way anyway, and began along the endless tunnel.

Several times he turned back from blockaded mob nests, placing some cobble in those dead end tunnels in order to not go down them again. This would have been a wise choice had he not come to a, dead end, turned back and then walked straight into another wall. He blinked, spun back around, walked back to the first wall, turned again and went back, then sat down with his head in his hands.

"I need a break…" 

Eventually, he steeled himself enough to continue on, breaking through a cobble wall to figure out just which way to go. Then his communicator beeped. He frowned and took it out, then froze in horror.

**MumboJumbo fell from a high place**

\--

Herobrine heard the snap of breaking wings before he saw it, and instantly closed his own to dive down after Mumbo even before he cried out in panic. They collided mid air, and Herobrine hooked his hands under Mumbo's arms and flung his wings open. The wind rushing past them slammed into the remigium, forcing them to bend backwards so far that he was sure they too would suffer the same fate as Mumbo's. However, they held strong, and Herobrine felt their descent slowing.

In the short amount of time they had plummeted, they'd very nearly hit the ground outside the shack. Herobrine sighed in relief as the grass rushed to meet them, knowing the landing would hurt but not leave any serious injuries.

Wait.

It would be survivable to him. But Mumbo wasn-

** _CRUNCH_ **

The world faded back into focus, revealing someone running towards them. Herobrine groaned slightly, then gasped when he remembered Mumbo.

The hermit was half draped over him from where Herobrine had tried to shield him from the impact, but he was still. The unknown person stopped and dropped down next to them, then gently shifted Mumbo off of him. Herobrine rolled over to check on him, and his heart dropped when he noticed how deathly still he was. The person - a woman, he noticed - had her ear against Mumbo's chest. She then lowered him to the floor and sighed.

"N- ...no!" Herobrine cried out, grabbing Mumbo by the shoulders and shaking him slightly. "Not another one! Please!" He ducked his head, overwhelmed by grief at yet another loss, this time one he was directly responsible for. If only he'd caught Mumbo faster, or not assumed he was as durable as himself! 

"MUMBO!" The shout was accompanied by the screech of metal scraping against rock, then a thud, and Doc was at his side. The woman recoiled sharply, as if the presence of the cyborg had burnt her.

"Oh snap, where's he gonna respawn? All the way back at Area 77?" He growled in frustration, staring at Mumbo and waiting for him to disappear. The body persisted.

"Uh… is it going to…" 

"That… was what Diana did…" the woman mumbled. At the mention of the name, Herobrine felt like he had a knife stabbed through his heart, and he let out a quiet sob.

"No! Wait, are we in hardcore mode now?? What??" 

"Whatever that means… ugh… you..." The woman was glaring daggers at Doc, as if she was trying to kill him from looks alone. Doc ignored her, keeping his eyes focused on Mumbo.

"Come on, man… just… respawn please…" A deathly silence wrapped itself around them as they stared, willing the corpse to do something.

Mumbo heaved in a huge breath of air and opened his eyes.

"MUMBO!" He twitched slightly, then let out a strained noise. Herobrine focused on him, and realized in horror that he had a lot of fractured bones. 

"He's hurt!?" 

"Well, yeah, no shit." Doc grasped Mumbo's hand to help him stand, but Mumbo cried out in pain, making him drop it.

"He's very hurt. Lots of breaks." Herobrine told him. 

"Dying doesn't heal your injuries here?" Doc asked in alarm. 

"'Parrently not… welcome to the real world, shrub." The woman jogged away from them and disappeared into the shack, then reappeared with the yellow blanket. She laid it out of the ground next to Mumbo, then looked up at Herobrine.

"Help me out here, Mr demon." Herobrine scowled, but stepped forward anyway. He definitely recognised this person now; why she wasn't dropping everything to cut him to pieces eluded him. 

"Herobrine, your arm!" Doc gasped. Herobrine snapped his head around to look, and saw it was hanging out of the socket at a weird angle. Ah, _ that _was why it was hurting so much. The woman looked at it and made a pained face.

"Hold still man, I got th-" A hand on the cyborg's chest stopped him.

"No, I got this." And with that, Herobrine grabbed his arm and wrenched it back into position with a sickening pop. He screamed out in pain and nearly lost his footing, but after a brief moment the dizzying agony passed. He was left panting, and looked over to see all three other people present starting at him with slack jaws and wide eyes.

"Hero-"

"It's nothing unusual." Herobrine told them with a weak smile before bending down next to Mumbo. "Where were we?"

"Uh, temporary stretcher. We gonna get him onto there, then get back into the shed." The woman replied. She crouched and took hold of Mumbo's lower legs, and nodded to Herobrine. He hooked his arms under Mumbo's shoulders, and they heaved him onto the blanket. He groaned in response to the movement, but remained conscious, his eyes flicking between them.

Slowly, they all made their way back to the shelter, and once inside Mumbo was gently set down at the back. Doc instantly crouched before him, looking him over to take note of his injuries. Then he was pushed aside by the woman.

"Outta the way flower face, let someone qualified take care of this."

"I am literally a doctor." Doc protested.

"Whatever, go heal a tulip." She growled. Doc's eye twitched at once again being dismissed for just a mob. A pink potion was pulled out and offered to Mumbo, who took it and downed it, cringing as the bones clicked back into place and rejoined together.

"Where'd you get that?" Herobrine whispered.

"I stole it from the other hunters. Screw em." The woman shrugged. "How you feeling moustashe boy?"

"Better, thanks, but please stop being rude to Doc." He rasped. She rolled her eyes and turned away, slinking back to her corner. He sighed and looked at Herobrine, then noted just how close to tears the man looked.

"You okay?" He asked. Herobrine shook his head. Mumbo frowned and thought back to the last few days, and realised he would be holding back a whole bunch of emotions from them by now. Plus whatever he was harbouring from before. The redstoner closed his eyes and swallowed, then opened his arms.

"Come here buddy…" Herobrine practically launched himself into Mumbo's offered embrace, and he winced as the sudden weight applied pressure to his still tender bones. He closed around Herobrine, and held him as he began to cry into his shoulder.

"Okay, okay, it's okay…" This totally was not an excuse to play with his super fluffy hair more.

"Wow… he's… really like that. And I was scared of this guy…" The woman was watching the scene unfold intently with raised eyebrows.

"You really are abrasive, aren't you?" Mumbo stated. She shrugged.

"I'm just surprised at how wrong I was about him. Flynn makes him out to be some force of destruction nether-bent on leaving the human race in ruins. Yet here he is… needing a shoulder to cry on." She grimaced and looked down.

"He didn't even commit the crimes that got me after him in the first place. Flynn himself did… bastard…" Herobrine whimpered at the mention of Flynn, and Mumbo quickly began stroking his hair to calm him down.

"So… you no longer pin the blame of F- his crimes onto Herobrine… Why do you continue to pin the crimes of creepers on Doc?" Mumbo asked. The woman's eyes darkened.

"Because they all have only one goal… destroy life, and spread their species. I've seen the hivemind in action. They will stop at nothing to accomplish this. What makes you think this one wouldn't do the s-"

"**I AM NOT ONE OF THEM!!**" The enraged roar shocked all of them into statues. Mumbo slowly turned to Doc, who was sitting with his hands clasping at his head. His eye was wide, staring into the space in front of him, and his cybernetic eye was flickering slightly.

"I… am not… one of them…" his shout had died into a throaty whisper. He stayed in the same position while shaking slightly for a long minute, then leapt to his feet and ran out of the door. The force of it slamming behind him shook the entire shack and made a torch fall down from the wall.

"Well, jeez…" The woman stared at the door, then looked back at Mumbo, her face one of shock. Mumbo narrowed her eyes at her, then took out a weapon. Or at least intended to, except of course it was his shovel instead.

"Listen missus, I don't know what you have against creepers, but you will NOT be referring to Doc as one, okay?" He pointed the shovel at her as he spoke.

"He, as he said himself, isn't like the others. In fact, they see him as they see you and me. He's as much of an enemy to them as you are. So drop it. Alright?" She looked between the shovel and his face with a raised eyebrow.

"Might take you a bit more serious if you weren't pointing a spoon at me…" Mumbo grumbled something under his breath, then proceeded to pull out some TNT.

"Alright?" The woman looked him in the eyes, then gulped, as if she could see the thousands of different creative and terrible ways he would be able to subject her to the explosives.

"Okay. Fine. Yes. Alright." Mumbo sighed in relief and dropped the menacing act. Like it was much of an act anyway, but it seemed to have worked. Maybe this person had a begrudging respect for redstone.

He stored the TNT away and went back to petting Herobrine, noting in alarm that he couldn't feel his leg anymore from where the man was sitting on it. The guy certainly weighed a bit more than the last time he'd carried him; Grian must have been feeding him well. 

After what felt like hours, the door slowly opened once again, and Doc peered back inside. Mumbo looked up at him, and noticed some dark streaks coming from his eye. Had he been… _ crying? _

"Have you been crying?" The woman asked in an unexpectedly gentle tone. Mumbo cringed at her straightforwardness, but Doc just shook his head, avoiding eye contact with any of them. 

"You d-" 

"I'm physically unable to cry, you know… I just… needed to clear my head." Doc cut off Mumbo mid sentence while giving him a pointed stare. Mumbo sighed.

"Well… care to relieve me of Herobrine care duty? I can't feel my leg." Doc frowned a bit, then sat down beside him.

"Alright, hand him over." Mumbo gratefully shifted Herobrine over so he was leaning against the cyborg, then stretched his leg out, feeling the pins and needles as the blood rushed back into it.

"Aaah that's a lot better… ok-"

"Mumbo, help!" 

"What?" Mumbo looked back at Doc to see Herobrine had fallen asleep while clutching at his labcoat. He took a moment to process the scene, then burst into laughter.

"Oh, you must be super comfy then?" He teased. 

"I'm made of metal! Can't be that soft…" Doc sighed and rolled his eyes, then took his fingers out of Herobrine's hair when he realized he'd been absentmindedly petting him. Herobrine mumbled slightly and grabbed Doc's wrist, placing the hand back on his head.

At that, even the woman started laughing, until Doc raised a finger to his lips and shushed them. The laughter then turned into quiet snorts and giggles.

"He must really trust you, huh?" The woman sighed before turning away and heading out of the door. It clicked closed, leaving the two hermits and their sleeping friend alone in the shelter.

Mumbo shifted and crawled forward, wincing at the pain his bones gave him as he moved, but made his way over to the door and turned around so he was leaning against the wall. On the other side of the room, Doc looked to be barely staying awake, as his head kept drooping.

"Just go to sleep dude…" Mumbo whispered. Doc blinked once, then closed his eye and rested his head on Herobrine's. The red light in his cybernetic eye dimmed, then fizzled out with a quiet buzz, indicating that he had fallen into a deep sleep.


	34. New Lodging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they make the best of the situation.

If you had told Harpy a week ago that she'd be living with the 'demon' she had been hunting for years, a bumbling British idiot and a goddamn _creeper_ in the future, she would definitely have given you a weird look. If you had told her that she would actually somewhat _enjoy_ said living arrangement… well, you'd probably be on horse care duty for a month. Yet, here she was, stuck in a place that made no sense, with a group of people that made no sense, and surprisingly not wanting out of the situation in any way possible.

She'd soon learnt a lot about the three that were with her, from the affinity and proficiency that Mumbo and Doc had with the red powder she wouldn't come in contact with while toting a ten foot bargepole, to the stories they had from that weird little group of 'hermits' they called family. She even got to know Herobrine a bit better, although he was understandably rather avoidant of her. However, it was easy enough to see what effect years of being hunted has done to him.

He retained many scars from their past encounters, both physical and mental, as well as habits that would only develop in a person who was prey. The way he'd scrunch himself into the tightest ball possible to protect himself as he slept, the way he positioned himself in the optimal area to be able to bolt from the location as soon as possible, how he was always looking over his shoulder, or jumping at the slightest suspicious sound. His eating habits were telling too; he'd scarf down anything he was given in seconds flat, like it would be taken from him at any moment. Despite this, he still looked like he was two missed meals away to keeling over from starvation. Harpy had quickly taken to staying out of his sight when he got the chance to eat, just so he would actually be able to do so without being too nervous from her presence.

It was heartbreaking to her, and disturbingly similar to the behaviour of those she had before rescued from less than optimal living conditions; children who were abused by those who were meant to protect them, adults, broken by torture, even animals who were so traumatized by the sight of another human they wouldn't even take the food she'd offer to them.

And for once, she was the one responsible for it.

Herobrine had sensed her eyes on his back, and Harpy quickly looked away from him as he began to shift uncomfortably under her gaze, instead looking over to Doc. The cyborg was currently sprawled in the sunlit grass, apparently asleep, so she crept over to him and sat down, curious to actually take a good look at him for the first time.

His usual tattered labcoat attire was cast out a few meters away, as if he'd thrown it off in his desire to sunbathe, revealing a body that was littered in scars and muscle. The paler green scar tissue was especially prevalent around where it attached to his metal parts, making Harpy wonder just what happened to him that would make him rebuild himself like this. He twitched slightly, making her flinch back a bit. Was he dreaming? What did creepers dream about? So many questions where being held inside her, ones she dare not ask since he had made it abundantly clear that he was, in fact, _ not _ a creeper. 

Harpy pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, moving her eyes over the markings he had on his back. Without the plant cover and the spore pods, the camouflaged mottling and leopard-like spots where those pods would have been attached were clearly visible. Since he was lacking the main source of explosive power, it was unlikely that Doc would be able to detonate himself, even if he wanted to. He didn't do so back when the Herobrine hunters were holding him prisoner after all, in spite of the sneaky bluff he'd pulled. So it seemed he really had completely rejected the lifestyle of a creeper, instead intermingling with human society, like being bright green and partially made of metal was a completely normal thing.

Hey, maybe it was where he was from.

The next thing she noticed was the dark markings under the skin, following his spine and spreading out like the stripes of a tiger. They seemed to twist and wrap their way around him like vines constricting the limb of a tree, and looked very out of place compared to the more subtle shades of green. Harpy was leaning in closer to study them when Doc very suddenly shifted, and chuckled slightly.

"You liking what you're seeing?" 

"Urargh! You're awake…" she recoiled in shock. 

"Interesting aren't I?" He ignored her remark and lifted himself off the ground slightly, then looked over his shoulder at her. The dark markings around his eye hadn't vanished; they'd grown stronger if anything. Harpy wondered if they could be related to the ones on his body.

"Very. What you doing lounging?" She asked. Doc shrugged.

"When I get tired or low on energy, I get the urge to just… lay down in direct sunlight. Dunno why. It does help though somehow."

"Wish I could absorb energy from the sun." Harpy smirked. Doc's eye went wide, and he thudded his fist down into his other hand.

"Of course! That is a thing, isn't it!" He was grinning like he'd just learnt the answer to one of the universe's greatest mysteries. "Thanks for the insight, man!" 

"What?" Harpy blinked, then shook her head.

"Whatever. As for your first question… the black tiger stripes are pretty neat I guess." A cleverly disguised question of her own, with the hidden meaning of _ do all creepers have those stripes or just you? Do you have them normally? _

Doc frowned, then looked over his shoulder in an attempt to see his own back. It seemed Harpy's wordsmithing had worked.

"I don't have black st-" He froze mid sentence, staring at his arm which also displayed the abnormal patterning.

"What the heck?" Doc swung his head around, looking all over his body for the dark stripes, and his face went pale.

"I… need a minute…" With that, he jumped to his feet and ran, vanishing into the bushes. Harpy sighed as she watched him go, then turned away and headed back towards the shack. She had work to do, after all. 

Mumbo watched Doc disappear into the foliage, feeling the already huge bubble of worry for him grow even more. He'd been watching the cyborg closely over the past few days, and with the insight Xisuma had given him, definitely had not missed what Doc _hadn't_ been doing: eating. Like X predicted.

At first, Mumbo assumed that it was just Doc being overprotective of them, making sure he and the other two had enough food before himself. After all, food was very hard to come by in the far lands. After Herobrine had basically finished any golden carrots he'd had left, they'd found themselves cleaned out. Mumbo had presented the singular egg he kept on him, but it was decided that it would only be used in the case of an emergency. Instead, seeds and wheat had been planted, then promptly killed by the freezing cold nights.

Afterwards Mumbo had created a shabby wheat farm inside the hut with his redstone expertise, however the bonemeal to power it became the next problem, as the skeletons were too smart to be farmed automatically, and also too smart to be hunted safely. Even so, they managed to create one source of bread. They were hungry, yes, but it was survivable.

That is, if Doc would even eat any of it. Even with his constant pestering, he still had not seen him take a single bite of anything, well, the entire time, really. It was really beginning to wear on him heavily. He had to do something about it... But what? 

Get home maybe?

However, the likelihood of them finding their way back home in the near future was almost zero. So the stranded quartet had instead set about in making the area into a somewhat comfortable place to live, with Mumbo sorting out food, Harpy busying herself in tasks to make the lodging more habitable, Doc with his constant area patrolling and scouting for resources, and Herobrine often accompanying him, with his greater knowledge of the far lands being a valuable asset. All the while, the two hermits constantly tried over and over to contact their faraway friends.

Five times they had attempted to climb back to their only lifeline, since Mumbo's elytra was ruined and Doc's in bad shape from the fall, yet they had been forced to turn back every time. Whether it just took too long and the temperature was just too extreme to complete the mission, they ran into just _ way _ too many scarily intelligent mobs, or, at one point, come face to face with the worst adversary of them all- a singular sheep, standing right in the cave's entrance and chewing absentmindedly on some grass.

"Herobrine said don't trust the sheep, right?" Mumbo asked fearfully, peering out from behind Doc. 

"Why? It's just a sheep!" Doc strode forward, sword in hand, and the sheep lazily turned towards him. The next moment, it had knocked Doc down and was standing over him.

"You little-" it watched with bored eyes as he scrambled to his feet and took out his trident.

"Guess we're eating mutton tonight!" 

No sooner had those words left his mouth, the sheep was behind him, placing him smack in between the unnervingly close sheer drop, and a rather pissed-off looking Ovine. Then he was looking at the side of the cliff rapidly receding away from him. Thank goodness Mumbo had insisted he'd wear his elytra.

The sheep turned around to look at Mumbo, who swallowed nervously.

"I'll uh… I'll be going now. Seeya!" And with that, the redstoner had disappeared back into the hole in the wall.

He'd found a rather disgruntled looking Doc at the bottom, examining the now broken set of wings that had saved him from death via evil sheep.

"Hey Mumbo." He asked without turning around. "Have you been getting any experience from killing the mobs here?"

"Uuuuh…" Mumbo frowned and thought back to the latest horde of zombies they'd cut down, and realized he hadn't seen a single one of the magic orbs. "I don't think so?"

"So mending is useless." The cyborg threw the tattered elytra on the ground in frustration, then examined his trident closely, noting the obvious wear and tear it was beginning to show. 

"We can hunt phantoms to repair them maybe?" Mumbo suggested. Herobrine looked over from the fire he'd made, then waved a bit as if he had something to say.

"Phantom nests? I can lead." Doc and Mumbo looked at each other worriedly. Phantom nests sounded like the last place anyone would want to be. But what choice did they have?

\--

So now the four of them were making their way across a precariously thin ledge, with Herobrine leading the group. Doc paused for a moment to look down below, both amazed and scared of the sight he saw.

The narrow path wound around a twisted spire of rock that formed a wall of a massive hole that punctured deep into the earth. On the other side, a thin waterfall poured out of a steep valley and into the abyss, and a few bright parrots flapping across in front of it caught his eye as he took in the view. They landed in an outcropping of jungle trees and disappeared, so Doc turned his sight to down below.

The lush vegetation dwindled as it went deeper, until it was instead replaced by glittering sheets and crystals of ice. Then, below that, he could peek through a smaller hole in the base of the pit to see glowing lava underneath. The entire scene painted a picture of the far lands exactly as Herobrine had described it; scorched bare tips of spires leading down into a layer that was livable, although still subject to temperature fluctuations. Then the caves below that accepted the encroaching frost of the night but never felt the relief from the sun during the day, leaving a layer that was frozen permanently until it got so deep the heat from the earth itself prevented any further freezing. He shivered at the sight of the cold rock and turned back to see Mumbo, Harpy and Herobrine had gained a huge lead on him, and he broke into a jog to catch up. 

"Phantom nest." Herobrine pointed to a lump stuck to a cliff above them. It looked to be made of stone, but something about it sent shivers through all four of them. Doc was sure he could see the green pinpricks of phantom eyes staring down at them.

"So, how we getting to them?" Harpy asked. Mumbo took out a few stacks of cobble and handed them to each person. They looked between each other, understanding the next course of action, and soon a rickety staircase had been built, reaching almost to the opening in the phantom nest. Mumbo and Doc started constructing a platform they could fight the flying monsters on, while Herobrine appeared from the stair hole, having finished adding the barrier between the stairs and a deadly drop that he'd insisted on building.

Meanwhile Harpy was inspecting the entrance, looking out for any sign of their quarry, then turned back to see Herobrine adding another barrier around the platform, despite the other two's protests. She snorted in amusement at his concern for the safety of those he called his friends, somewhat reminded of how she often looked out for her own. A wave of pining washed over her as she thought back to them, and she wondered just how they would be getting on without her. Would they be hurt? Lost? Would the hermits have killed them?

An angry screech quickly dispelled any worry in her mind though, and she ducked as the claws of a phantom brushed through her hair. She unsheathed the sword Doc had lent her sword and spun around, ready to impale the monster out of the air, and it halted and flipped over, righting itself and swooping back in. A quick and forceful stab later, it was sliding down the blade of her sword, twitching in its death throes. The phantom let out a final hiss and vanished in a puff of smoke. One down.

"Oh gosh. They're coming." Mumbo and Doc quickly took out their own weapons, while Herobrine clenched his fists and set them aflame. The phantom's nest was thoroughly disturbed by now, with multitudes of the flying monsters pouring out of the opening, snapping and snarling at the intruders. 

"Looks like we're repairing those elytra and then some!" Doc called with a grin, and he lobbed his trident at the swarm, impaling two through the wing. The weapon stuck into the floor, then unhooked itself and flew back to Doc, phantoms still attached. He grabbed it and slashed down, dispatching them quickly, and one of them had bit of membrane fall off of it's leathery wings. 

"How many will we need?" Mumbo asked while keeping snapping jaws at bay with his axe. He jumped and brought it down through a phantom, and sunk the axe deep into the platform. "Oh come on…" 

"Six to repair them both once, more if we have any mishaps with them." Doc called back, stabbing a phantom out of the air. 

"Alright." Mumbo tugged at his axe while trying to ignore the cloud of phantoms closing in on him. He failed, and his face paled at the sheer number of jaws making a beeline for his head.

"Oh GOSH!" The jaws never connected though. In an instant, they vanished into a wall of fire so close that it singed his moustache. He looked back to see Herobrine standing with his arms outstretched, wisps of flame still dancing around his fingers.

"Thanks!" He called out to him, finally freeing his axe from the floor and turning back to the swarm. He noticed a scrap of membrane lying on the cobble, and quickly stashed it in his pocket.

"I got a membrane! How many do you guys have?" He asked.

"Five." Doc growled, skewering another phantom. "Six."

"I got four." Harpy answered, deflecting a set of snapping teeth away from her. Mumbo looked behind him to see Herobrine also holding a membrane.

"Okay, so we got enough?" He concluded. The phantoms seemed to be retreating anyway, as more of them dived back into their home to escape them.

"Yep, let's g-" Doc got disrupted by a horrifyingly loud shriek from in the nest. The sound was followed by the scratching of claws against stone, the rub of leathery membrane against itself, and the gut twisting hiss of fetid breath.

An enormous pair of piercing green eyes blinked at them from the inky blackness, and they emerged forward, revealing teeth as long as swords, a bony crest that nearly reached waist height, and powerful jaws that would easily rip a man limb from limb. The click of claws against rock became louder, and the phantom's wings pulled out of the dark, the thin boney fingers gripping against the rugged walls of the nest, digging in as climbed out and scuttled against the wall like some nightmarish version of a spider.

Yet no spider could instill the fear this creature did in the hearts of those who had dared attack it's home. It rotated it's head around like an owl to glare down at them, then let out an ear-splitting screech and released its grip on the rock above them. As it fell, it flipped mid air so it would land squarely in front of them and bared its teeth, ready to kill. The bone plated tail thrashed angrily, scratching deep marks in the cobble where it contacted the platform.

They had disturbed the queen of the hive. And she was _ mad_.

"WHY IS THIS A THING THAT EXISTS??" Mumbo cried out in terror. His outburst had the unfortunate effect of attracting the giant phantom's attention onto him, and it leapt forward to attack him. Doc was instantly between then, jamming his trident into its mouth and digging the claws of his feet into the cobblestone to stop it in its tracks. The phantom bit down on the weapon, puncturing through Doc's metal arm in the process. Redstone sparked from inside it, and Signal shot into the monster, stunning it momentarily and giving the rest of the people present a change to strike.

Harpy launched herself onto the creature's back, gripping against the sharp bone spines, and plunged her sword into its shoulder, while Mumbo scrambled around to the side and brought the axe down on one of its fingers. Herobrine skidded underneath the creature in the meantime, only to remember the thick armour phantoms had on their underside. Nonetheless, he gripped onto it and pulled, hoping to snap away the scaly plating and attack the soft flesh underneath.

The phantom screeched in rage and pain, then tossed it's head back to hurl Doc into the air. He yelled out in surprise, his limbs flailing, then the surprise turned into pain as the monster's teeth sank into his body, straight through his armour, then shook him from side to side like a dog playing with a toy. He thrashed out and stabbed the trident into its eye at the same time as Harpy sinking her sword into the creature's head. It writhed around, dropping Doc, then spread its wings and vaulted into the air.

The wicked sharp talons of its feet flailed about as it scrabbled to grab something. Then, the phantom dropped again, and Herobrine found himself on the floor, pinned under the toes of the creature like some ghastly cage. The phantom hissed down at him, then brought its teeth down into his arm and tugged back, trying to rip it off. However, the durability of his bones won over his flesh, and the fangs tore free from the limb, leaving it in bloody tatters.

He screamed as Mumbo ran in, swinging his axe into the leg of the phantom as hard as he could. The diamond head dug deep into bone, and it splintered and snapped under the impact, releasing Herobrine from is grasp. The phantom reared in agony, screeching so loud that it physically hurt their ears. But Doc ignored that pain and jammed his trident into the small gap in the belly armour of the beast that Herobrine had managed to make, twisting down and using the weapon as a leaver to rip it open. Dull blood splattered over the already coated cobble, and he wasted no time in flipping the trident around and jamming it as hard as he could through the body of the creature. It spread its wings and beat them down hard, launching itself into the air with Doc clinging to the bottom of it and Harpy straddling its neck.

Harpy gritted her teeth and pushed against her sword, forcing the phantom to flap away from the platform and the protective shade of the overhanging cliff. The sunlight struck down on the flammable skin of the creature, setting it alight, and the flames quickly rushed towards Harpy, making her cry out in alarm. She twisted the sword to force the phantom back towards the platform, then shoved it down deep into its skull with all her might.

Mumbo barely had time to drag Herobrine out of the way before the creature smashed into the cobblestone with the snap and tear of bones and membrane. It hissed at them and snapped it's jaws around, still trying to catch one of them out. Then there was the loud clang of metal, as an anvil crunched through its skull and landed on the cobblestone below.

Herobrine took his hands off the anvil and skittered away, still expecting it to be alive. However, it was still, smouldering slightly, but very much dead. Above them, a few more of the monster's smaller brethren circled, but they dived away back into the nest at the sight of their master's defeat.

Doc got to his feet and ran to the opening, ducking under a final phantom, and jammed some cobble into the hole, blocking them in. Harpy was poking at the yet to disintegrate corpse of the giant phantom, while Mumbo was with Herobrine, who was sat in the corner seemingly having a panic attack and also bleeding everywhere. Doc turned back to them with only one thing to say.

"What the fuck was that?"

At his words, the corpse began to crumble, and it dissipated in a huge plume of smoke, leaving a small pile of items in the middle. Harpy collected them, looking each item over one by one.

"Six more membrane, two phantom teeth, some bones and a… bone blade?" She examined the last item closely. "A trophy maybe?"

Doc squinted at it, noting in alarm how his vision was fuzzy and unfocused, and also lacking the colour red. He blinked slowly, then tapped the eyepiece on his face. The forbidden colour flickered into view for a split second, then that entire side of his vision went dark.

"Oh no…"

Then his legs failed him.


	35. Not Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which something is finally done about that plant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A good warning for those who might not like reading about extracting parasites from people. Like, even I felt weird when writing this.
> 
> Stop reading when you get to :  
"Oh no."  
And skip to :  
"With the extraction process complete,"

The sound of flesh and metal heavily hitting stone caught the attention of all three other people present. Mumbo looked around, and gasped when he saw Doc sprawled on the floor, unmoving. He ran over and fell to his knees besides the downed cyborg, his hands half spread in an action of not knowing what to do.

"Doc? Please say you're alive?" He stammered. The only response was a faint moan. Mumbo's mouth opened and closed like a beached fish as panic clouded his ability to think. A heavy hand rested on his shoulder, grounding him back in reality.

"Come on, let's get him into the sunlight." Harpy told him. Mumbo simply nodded along, not absorbing what she'd said.

She bent over and lifted Doc, struggling under the weight, then made her way over to a sunlit corner and set him down so he was leaning on the barrier. He groaned and opened his eye, then squinted at the sudden harsh light. Harpy unlatched his chestplate and tugged it off, revealing the spreading bloodstains on his labcoat beneath. 

"You think your good ol respawn is still broken?" She whispered to Mumbo. He gripped his moustache with both hands and tugged nervously.

"No more healing potions?" 

Harpy shook her head.

"You had the one I managed to grab from the hunters, remember?" She explained while slowly easing the labcoat off of Doc's body, revealing the true extent of his injuries. As the fabric tore from the blood coated skin, he bared his teeth and hissed at her, making her flinch back. But then he blinked and looked down.

"...Sorry."

Harpy took the moment to look back over at Herobrine, who had taken his shirt off and was wrapping it around his arm. Two of them were gravely injured, but they had nothing to treat their wounds with.

Herobrine caught her eye, then looked away while tying the shirt tightly. He winced when he moved the limb, and some red was already seeping through the fabric, but he got to his feet and wandered over to them.

"I'll have to treat that later, you know. Kind of got my hands full." Harpy quickly told him. He shrugged.

"It's fine. No worries. Focus on Doc. I'm good." Mumbo was shifting from one foot to the other restlessly.

"You need anything? I can go get… stuff." He offered.

"Yeah, a full medical kit would be nice. Good luck though…" she muttered sarcastically.

"Harpy." Mumbo's voice held an edge of annoyance, and she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Okay okay, uuh… things we will need, water, for one thing." She scattered a bunch of bottles on the ground. "I'd say wool for bandages, but you are terrified of the sheep… uhh, come on Harpy, think… what did Diana say…"

A clink of an item being repaired redirected Mumbo's attention away from the ex-hunter to Herobrine, who was standing over the anvil that had finally done the mega-phantom in, holding a patched pair of wings out in front of him. He was frowning slightly between the anvil and the wings, then stepped over it to make his way to Mumbo. 

"Phantom membrane… makes good bandage. Helped me many times." Harpy wrinkled her nose.

"That's gross."

"Do we have any other option?" He thrust the elytra into Mumbo's hands then backed away. Mumbo blinked, then shrugged it on. It still looked tattered from having the tears filled in instead of magically sealed, but it would hold just as well. 

"Okay." He started as he collected the bottles. "Water, wool, if I can manage to not get murdered by a sheep. Anything else?"

"Stay on the lookout for mushrooms and daisies." She turned to look at Doc. "And dandelions too."

"Ye… uh… Okay." Mumbo took out a firework and lingered for a moment. At a nod from Harpy, he jumped off the platform and shot off into the air, speeding away out of sight. Herobrine crouched down beside her, offering some phantom membrane. She took it and pulled it taut, then looked between the pale material and a wound on Doc's chest.

"Yep, this is going to be weird…"

\--  
  


As Mumbo flew through the air, a sudden thought crossed his mind. The sun was setting, and he could see that the very tips of the hills were not aflame. Making a split second decision, he fired a rocket and slowed down over the scorched grass. It was still extremely hot, but he would be able to send a quick message to let the Hermits back home they were still alive.

** _Connecting to group chat _ ** **Far lands...**

**<MumboJumbo> hey guys, sorry about the silence over the past few days, we're still alive. Any ideas on how to get us home?**

**<MumboJumbo> can't stay long, docs hurt and I gotta get things.**

** _Connected to group chat _ ** **Far lands.**

**<Xisuma> YOU HAVE GOT TO GET THAT PARASITE OUT OF DOC, NOW. IT'S EATING HIM ALIVE.**

Mumbo's blood ran cold. 

"P-parasite?" He whispered to himself. Whatever it was, if Xisuma was shouting about it, it must be important. Mumbo stuffed the device in his pocket and jumped off the plateau, unable to bear the heat any longer. He swooped down and spied a sheep drinking from a stream, then grinned. Perfect.

\--

Harpy sat back while she watched Herobrine also fail to apply the membrane to a puncture wound. In theory, it should work, as he'd demonstrated on himself how to do it, and its effectiveness. But in practice, whatever weird creeper blood Doc had just refused to bind to the bandage, instead slipping off and bleeding through almost instantly. 

"Well, this is embarrassing…" Herobrine grumbled as the saturated membrane slipped from his grasp yet again.

"Good idea, good execution, poor circumstances." Harpy reassured him. He shot her a sideways glance, then sighed.

"Shirt it is then…"

"Jus' use my labcoat…" Doc whispered almost silently. Harpy looked over to the discarded garment.

"You sure?"

"Why else you think it's so torn?" He grinned weakly, then picked at a rag that was tied around his metal arm. "This too." 

Harpy quickly untied the scrap while Herobrine looked over the labcoat, figuring out where best to start. Eventually he decided to tear a strip from the already tattered lower hem, and handed it to Harpy. As she turned away to use it, he crouched down and traced an odd looking line that ran along the length of Doc's arm. That's when the firing off rockets cut through the air, and Mumbo stumbled to a halt behind them. 

"Got the wool!" He gasped, dropping down beside Harpy and placing it on the floor at her side. She pulled the bundle open and the bottles clinked out onto the cobbles, along with 3 daisies and 5 dandelions.

'I looked for mushrooms, couldn't find any. Sorry."

"It's fine." Harpy replied, snatching some wool and a water bottle. She set to work, deftly cleaning and dressing Doc's injuries with the fresh bandages, then gently shook him when she was done.

"You awake, flower?" Doc grunted in response. At that, Harpy held one of the bottles out towards him.

"Drink something." He cringed and took the bottle, then sipped a tiny bit of water out of it. His eye flicked between the audience he had, as if he was uncomfortable with them watching him. 

"Uh… go on then?" Mumbo encouraged. Doc squinted, then, with a seemingly unreasonable amount of effort, swallowed. Mumbo smiled and took out some bread, then offered it to him. 

"No, I'm fine Mumbo." Doc attempted to turn it down, but found the bread getting shoved into his hand anyway.

"Can't heal without eating." Mumbo reaffirmed. He grimaced and picked off the tiniest amount he could, and attempted to eat it. Unfortunately, this ended in the expected outcome; with an overly dry mouth and something constricting him from the inside, he quickly began to choke on the bread.

Mumbo gasped and thumped against his back, a gesture well meaning but ultimately useless. Harpy quickly took charge of the situation, driving her hand into his stomach and making him cough the lump of bread out. He drew in a deep shaky breath and swore quietly, knowing that his cover had finally been blown. Sure enough, Mumbo had crouched in front of him and taken him by the shoulders.

"How long, Doc?" He asked.

"How long what?" Doc replied. He stared Mumbo directly in the eye, and was struck by the amount of fear they held. Fear for _ him. _

"How long have you been unable to eat?" The question hit him hard, making Doc realize just how worried Mumbo had constantly been about him. He hadn’t missed the subtle glances in his direction over the past few days, or how Mumbo had watched him from what he had thought were hidden corners. Doc sighed and looked away, unable to hold his gaze any longer.

"I... Just..."

"Doc, don't think I haven't noticed you not eat a thing over the past few days. When did this start? How long?"

"Since… before the meeting… before I got captured…" He admitted. Mumbo closed his eyes and grimaced.

"We could have helped you, you know." He told him, taking his communicator out and turning it on. Doc squinted at the blurry text on the screen as it was angled towards him, and his breath caught in his throat.

"This was sent three days ago…" Mumbo said, turning the device so Harpy and Herobrine could also read it. Harpy gasped, her expression morphing into one of guilt.

"Is that the- it didn't die?" She asked quietly.

"No." Doc snarled at her, making her flinch away.

"Shit…" She covered her face and groaned. "And Forrest stuck it right over his heart. Taking it out will kill him!"

"And? Mumbo died, he came back." Doc pointed out. 

"He didn't have a gaping hole in his chest like you will." Harpy rebutted. 

"Won't be the first time for me either." He shot back, making Harpy close her mouth. Her eyes flicked around as she thought to herself, then she nodded.

"Alright. If you say so. It won't be pretty though." 

"Not here though." Herobrine said quietly. He bent down, and proceeded to lift Doc into his arms bridal style, making Harpy splutter in bewilderment. 

"Hey! Put me- I can- let g- I… ugh…" Doc kicked out a bit in protest, then stopped struggling and hid his face in his hands. Mumbo couldn't help but laugh at the absurd sight, since Herobrine was both shorter and much more scrawny than Doc, but seemed to be able to lift him with relative ease. He had stepped over to the stairs leading down from the platform, then paused to consider if he'd actually be able to go through the hole without hitting Doc's head on something.

Doc had other ideas though, as he managed to wiggle out of his grasp and fall to the floor, making Herobrine jump back a bit. He slowly managed to push himself to his feet and stumbled into Mumbo, who quickly steadied him against his shoulder.

"I'll go ahead to make sure it's safe." Harpy exclaimed while she darted past them and down the stairs. Herobrine hovered just behind the two Hermits as they started making their way down, then looked back to see Doc's trident laying on the floor, forgotten. He went over to it and paused just before he grabbed it, conflicted. It was his friend's prized possession after all, but…

he could still feel the sharp tines slicing through his neck, and the force behind it knocking him down onto the hard ground. Would his blood still be staining the glassy surface of the weapon?

The tines looked to be only soaked in the blood of phantoms though, and was clean of any signs of how close it had come to destroying him once and for all. He wrapped his fingers around it and lifted it off the cobbles, noting in surprise just how well balanced it was. Perfect for sailing long distances through the air. However, the surface had many cracks running over it, showing the wear and tear it was beginning to break from. He shuddered slightly and brought the weapon to his side, then bent over to grab Doc's labcoat before running off after the other three.

\--

By the time they made it back to the shelter, frost was already coating everything in sight. Harpy instantly went inside and lit the furnaces, and squatted in front of them for a moment to warm her hands. Herobrine dragged a bed over towards the source of warmth, then motioned to Mumbo to lay Doc onto it. The cyborg was practically unconscious by then, both from sheer exhaustion and the sluggishness imposed on him by the cold.

The metal in his arm creaked as Mumbo pushed him down onto the sheets, and something inside it clicked, as if part of the limb was snapping free. Harpy looked around at the sharp noise and raised an eyebrow.

"That didn't sound good."

"I'll look at it later." Mumbo said while examining Doc closely. At such a close range, he quickly realized that Doc looked _ terrible _; for lack of a better term, wilted. Like a houseplant that hasn't been watered in a long time. 

Technically, he was a houseplant that hadn't been watered in a long time. Or fed. And also harbouring a horrible parasitic lifeform that was eating him from the inside out. A sick houseplant with complex thoughts and feelings.

Mumbo then realized that he really needed to sleep.

Shaking the tired loopy thoughts away, he looked over to Harpy.

"So, what do we need to do to get this thing out?" He asked. Harpy took out the sword she'd been given and inspected it, lightly running a finger along the edge to test the sharpness.

"At this point, just pulling it out. The root is right over his heart, we grab that and pull." The mental image sent a strong shudder through Mumbo, and she took notice of this and nodded.

"Me too, kid. I think it's actually grown all throughout his body, if those markings on his arm are anything to go by." She lifted Doc's arm and ran her finger along a branching black stripe to show Mumbo, and he gagged slightly at the sight.

"Why did he not tell me about this??" He whispered while slightly turning Doc's head to take a closer look at the black stripes on his cheek. The cyborg grunted softly and jerkily swatted Mumbo's hand away, and some redstone sparks flickered out of the holes in his arm. Harpy remained silent while staring at him, so Mumbo looked away and over at Herobrine instead. He was also staring at Doc, but his eyes were narrowed, like he was trying to see something. He caught sight of Mumbo watching him and blinked, his eyes flicking between him and Doc.

"It is all over him." He stated quietly, looking extremely worried. Harpy glanced over at him.

"Secret sixth sense?" She asked. Herobrine shrugged and nodded, then crept over to the bed and kneeled down on the floor. 

"Always thought you had something of the sort… with that uncanny knowledge of where we were at all times…" He shifted uncomfortably at the callback to the savage hunting that he'd been subjected to, and made a point to not look over at Harpy.

Mumbo sighed, knowing that the hostility between her and the other two would unlikely to die down any time soon, what with her prejudice against creepers and history with Herobrine. He cleared his throat to quickly distract them from each other and turn their attention back to the current task.

"So, plan, we need one. Do you have experience with medical stuff, Harpy?" The ex-hunter nodded slowly.

"Extracting bits of plant from people was a common task for me. Never anything on this scale though…" She chewed on her lip slightly. "And never from another plant, heh."

"He needs water…" Herobrine suddenly piped in.

"How we gonna do that though? He can barely swallow…" Harpy pointed out.

"Slowly?" He suggested.

"No… We should wait until afterwards. We'd accidentally drown him."

"Uhh… drip?" Came another suggestion.

Harpy raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Water… straight into blood… like…" Herobrine dug a fingernail into his arm as if to demonstrate.

"Like an IV? Wait, how would you even know what that is?" Mumbo questioned.

"Had one… after I was freed from… from…" His sentence petered out halfway through, and he shifted to wrap his arms around his knees. Seemed that was still a sore subject for him, whatever it was. Mumbo swallowed and quickly directed the conversation away.

"Good idea, but we unfortunately do not have one of those on hand. And I don't know if I can make one." He sighed. "I think Doc's just gotta tough it out for now." The cyborg suddenly flinched, and Mumbo looked down to see Harpy had peeled a bandage on his body back and had sliced into the wound below with the sword.

"Wait what are you-"

"May as well get started and see how hard this can be… sorry about this, flower…" She dug a little deeper, then took the sword out and poked her fingers into the wound. Mumbo clenched his fists but held himself back, not wanting to disrupt her concentration.

Herobrine had leant forward on the bed, and it seemed that Doc was using one of his arms as a pillow. Herobrine's other hand was fiddling with the metal eyepiece on his face, and he sat back slightly when he accidentally pulled a wire out of its socket.

"Oh no…"

Both Harpy and Herobrine uttered the phrase at the exact same time, and Harpy looked to Herobrine gripping the broken wire, while Herobrine blinked at Harpy, then recoiled when he saw her fingers wrapped around a thick, bloody black tendril. Mumbo recoiled in disgust and horror while she began to pull on it, slowly extracting it from Doc's body.

"No, no, no, no no no no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO-" Herobrine watched in morbid curiosity while Mumbo had noped off to flatten himself on the furthest wall possible. He noticed Doc had unconsciously bared his teeth from the pain, and then cried out when he sunk said teeth deep into his hand. They were _ sharp _. A grim reminder of how creepers were mostly obligate carnivores until their plant covering grew in.

Meanwhile, Harpy tugged one final time on the ghastly tendril, and the very end of it slithered out of the wound and flopped limply onto Doc's skin. She took the sword and sliced it off as close to the wound as she could, then flung it to the floor.

With the extraction process complete, Doc had loosened his jaw slightly, and Herobrine wasted no time in ripping his hand from his mouth and incinerating the disgusting oozing thing with a maybe slightly too eager of a flame. As the fire cleared, the floor held nothing but a smudge of ash, which Harpy swept away.

"One down, lord knows how many to go." She mumbled grimly.

"Oh gosh… that wasn't even a big one was it?" Mumbo squeaked. Harpy shook her head.

"Better get used to it, sonny. Would be nice if you helped out a bit too." Mumbo crept forward and kneeled down on the opposite side to Harpy, and she pointed to her next target.

"This one has branches. Ready? It'll be tricky." He gulped and nodded, knowing inside that he was lying and, in fact, not ready in the slightest. Then again, were any of them prepared for this?

Turns out that answer was no.


	36. Very Much Not Okay in the Slightest.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Doc's new years resolution is to not have a massive parasite consuming him from the inside out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all said go gorier. So I went gorier. 
> 
> So uh, yeah, watch out for that.
> 
> Happy new year from the UK! :D

Doc was very much used to feeling terrible when he was awake by now, but today just took that one step too far. The entire lower half of his body was throbbing in pain, and it felt like hunks of flesh had been ripped out of his legs and groin. He lifted his head to look down at himself, and saw several bled-through bandages covering some new wounds on his stomach. No wonder he felt like crap.

Doc flopped his head back and exhaled, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep, preferably in a nice sunny location.

"Surgery time!" Fuck.

"Nooooooo…" He let himself go limp as Harpy tried to lift him off the bed he was laying on, becoming as much of a dead weight as possible.

"Well, that's the first time I've seen a creeper have a tantrum." She chuckled, and Doc fixed a fuzzy glare at her at being called a creeper once again.

For a moment, he was confused as to why her hair looked so strange, then he remembered his cybernetic eye had broken, thus eliminating any red from his vision, along with defined outlines. Wow, he'd forgotten just how bad his eyesight actually was without the enhancements of technology…

And how freaking sensitive it was to light.

Harpy paused when Doc covered his eye and cried out, worried she had accidentally done something wrong.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Too bright! Too bright! Aaaaaargh-" 

Harpy placed him down on the grass, then stood over him to shade him while he adjusted to the light. He squinted at her, still half shielding his eye, but he seemed to be getting used to the brightness of the daytime.

"Thanks man… forgot how bad my eyesight was… Freakin eye is broken..." He tapped on the metal half of his face, and some sparks flew out of where the wire was once attached. Harpy clenched her jaw, then sat down at Doc's side and took hold of his arm.

"This one next I think…" she mused to herself, tracing the outline of the constricting tendrils just under the skin. He shuddered at the sight, as well as the knowledge of what was about to happen next.

"Let's just get it over with." He growled. Harpy nodded and got to her feet, and with her departure, Herobrine was revealed to be sitting behind her, obscured from view. He shuffled closer, his eyes flicking between the arm and Doc's face with a concerned expression. Doc grinned at him.

"I'll be fine, no need to worry!" He told him, lying through his teeth. 

“Not fine! Not fine!” Herobrine cried out, staring down at the grass. Doc looked down, and nearly choked when he spotted the thin blank tendrils spreading out from under his hand. He jerked it away from the grass, and they snapped and tore apart, leaving a few spots of black on the ground. As they watched in abject horror, the spots sprouted into small black shoots and buried themselves into the earth.

Then an explosion of flame smothered them, and Doc scrambled away to avoid getting burnt, despite the fact that was very much what he wanted to do to himself right now. Herobrine kept the flames going for another few seconds, then let them die out and inspected the scorched earth for any sign of the parasite surviving the attack. To their relief, none was present, but the relief was short lived when they remembered that very same parasite was currently hanging from Doc’s hand.

And that was how Harpy found two grown men trying to safely set fire to one of their limbs.

“Guys.” Both of them turned around, wide eyed. She placed down the bucket of water and wool she was holding and sighed with her hands on her hips. They broke apart and scattered away, looking like two guilty children who had been caught doing something they shouldn’t. As Harpy went over to Doc, he sat down while holding his arm out, making her suck in a breath through her teeth when she saw the cause for the panic.

“Alright, stay still, this will be unpleasant…”

“More so than it already is?” Doc asked. “Just get it the hell out.”

“On it.” Without even hesitating, she sliced into his arm with the sword, and he instinctively cried out and tried to jerk it away.

“You said get it out?” Harpy asked.

“Give me a bit of warning maybe!” Doc snapped back. She sighed and rolled her eyes, then grabbed hold of his arm again.

“Hangry, much?” Her remark got nought but a narrowed eye for a reply, but he held still when she went back to continue the incision. She then laid the sword aside and gripped the black stem inside of Doc’s arm. The thin creeping tendrils slowly receded back into the openings they had made in his skin as more and more of the plant emerged from the cut. He hissed in pain, but went to grab a separate branch to start pulling it out. It wasn't long until the entire section was exposed to the air.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Doc gasped, his face pale as he took in the sight of what he’d been harbouring inside of him for so long. Harpy slashed the plant off at the base and threw it aside.

“On you, Herobrine.” At the mention, Herobrine incinerated the severed tendril, along with everything within a one block radius of it, then looked back over to Harpy. The look on her face was grim as she quickly bandaged the gash and looked back to the remaining wool.

"Hey Herobrine, can you tell Mumbo to go get more wool while he's out?" Herobrine nodded and took out his communicator to start typing. Harpy then proceeded to lightly push Doc down onto the grass. 

"Well… one thing to do now…" She announced. "You 100% sure you want to do this?"

"Heck yeah!" Doc shouted back.

"Alright… no hard feelings…" And with that, she brought the sword down directly onto Doc's chest.

Herobrine started at the sound of tearing flesh and Doc's scream. He only just managed to hit send on the message before he'd dropped the device and ran over to Harpy and Doc. Harpy tossed her sword aside and kneeled down to stick her hand directly into the hole she'd made, and paused when she suddenly noticed just how still Doc was. 

"I think I killed him…" She sighed, then proceeded to start digging around inside his chest anyway, finally grabbing hold of something. At that, Doc suddenly shuddered back to life, rasping in a huge breath.

"Sorry flower!" Harpy squeaked, only to be met with a quiet groan, then a gurgle as Doc's body gave out again. She cringed and continued to pull, hoping that Doc being dead would spare him from the worst of the experience.

Herobrine sat down on the opposite side of him, then pointed to a separate branch that was coiled around one of the cyborg's ribs. Harpy nodded to him, and he began to untangle the tendril from the bone, gasping when the rib snapped under his pull. At the sound of the break, Doc once again coughed himself awake, and stared between them, his eye full of pure panic. Herobrine dropped the plant when he saw this, unwilling to continue, but Harpy ignored the look and carried on.

"Keep going, Briney." She ordered, taking a firm hold of a bundle of vines. "Care to untangle them so I don't pull his heart out?"

Herobrine complied, hyper aware of how the life had just leaked out of Doc's body once again. He grimaced as yet another tendril slipped out from the flesh. Oh goodness that was a lot of blood pumping out of that hole there… 

Harpy took hold of one more vine and extracted it from it's hold. Some blood flicked out of the wound as it dangled limply to the side, splattering a line of purple dots over the faces of the two people leaning over him. Herobrine looked over at him, and froze when he saw that the cyborg was once again awake, yet in a stricken state of asphyxiation. His mouth was wide open and trying to draw in air, but evidently failing as indicated by the lack of any movement from his chest.

Herobrine closed his eyes and forced himself to look away, but still felt the moment Doc slipped away from them yet again. His breath caught in his throat, and he had to sit back in order to recover himself.

"Alright. That bit's done… you good to keep going?" Harpy asked him. He drew in a deep breath, and nodded.

"Okay, I'll need you to hold him down, since the next bit will be using a good amount of force." She instructed. Herobrine gulped and took a gentle hold of Doc's shoulders, pressing them into the grass. Then, without any further warning, Harpy tightened her grip on the vines, and heaved backwards. The force behind the pull nearly jerked Doc out of Herobrine's grip, and he gasped as he struggled to hold him down.

The plant stretched taut, then slowly but surely, began to slide out of the hole in Doc's chest. The cyborg suddenly thrashed about, kicking against Harpy and making her double over with a grunt. The blunt claws on his toes dug into her thighs and slashed long red lines into the flesh, and she cried out, but still refused to let go. Herobrine shifted to Doc's side and attempted to hold his legs down, but the loosening of his hold on the cyborg's shoulders freed him enough to lash out at him. The tips of Doc's metal fingers suddenly unsheathed themselves into sharp claws, and they ripped into Herobrine's cheek with ease, leaving wide bloody gashes behind.

Herobrine ignored the pain and shifted so he was positioned on top of Doc in such a way as to not obstruct Harpy. She was still bent over from pain, but then steeled herself and continued pulling. 

"Oh fuck, it's still going into his limbs? I thought I got all those branches out!" She exclaimed in horror. Herobrine gripped one of the branches and tugged on it, and it slithered out with little resistance. Feeling hopeful, he repeated the process on another one, but this one was tangled around one or two more organs than the last one.

Ignoring how Doc had once again succumbed to the procedure, he tugged the tendril in different directions to untie it from his insides, eventually managing to slip the end of it out into the open air. Harpy grabbed hold of it from his hands so that he could move into the next one, and he looked down at the two remaining problematic tendrils, deciding to work out the one that was appearing to grow towards Doc's neck. 

"Oh goodness… that's going to be a tricky one…" Harpy crouched down next to Herobrine, examining the branch closely. Herobrine wrapped his fingers around it and pulled back, and Doc screamed, making him drop it again with a distressed yelp. 

"Well, at least he's getting air now?" Harpy grunted, letting go of the rest of the vines to hold him down. Herobrine cringed, but took hold of the parasite again and kept tugging, and each jerk of the plant retracted the dark markings around Doc's eye a little more. His screaming had deteriorated into rasping gurgles, and then he was still once again. 

Harpy lifted her hand from his forehead and took hold of the branch, helping Herobrine in the task of extracting it. The branch split into two, then four, and then numerous other smaller tendrils, each one of which was pulled out one by one. Herobrine frowned at an end that looked to be snapped, but noted in relief that it seemed intact before moving onto the next.

Finally, after two more instances of Doc waking and immediately dying again, the branch was fully out, leaving only one more. Harpy pulled on it, and it let go of the flesh with very little effort, much to her relief. At last, only the very root of the parasite to go. 

"Last bit. Might need help, it's the root." She explained. Herobrine nodded and took hold of the thick bundle of tendrils, and together they planted a foot on either side of the wound, then tugged back. A few seconds of pulling later, the roots of the parasite finally slithered from their host, and Harpy and Herobrine stumbled backwards, landing in a heap with the bloody black mass entangling them.

Harpy rolled to the side and crawled back over to Doc, and gasped when she saw the amount of blood pouring from the wound. It seemed that the parasite was the only thing that was holding it in, and with it gone, nothing was there to stem the flow. She dug into the wound and felt around, sure enough finding several thorns buried deep into the flesh. Herobrine appeared at her side as she got to work removing them, and blinked as Doc twitched.

His struggles had been getting weaker and weaker as time went on, and he was barely able to move anymore, instead just laying on the floor and staring Herobrine in the eye, pleading with him to make it stop. He looked as if he was struggling to breathe again, and Herobrine had to look away as the light faded from his eye once more. Harpy pulled out another thorn, then felt around for more.

"I think that's all of it." She exclaimed. "Now we just got the matter of a huge hole to attend to." 

Herobrine handed her the wool, and she stuffed it into the wound to try and stem the bleeding. The fabric instantly turned purple as it soaked in the blood, and yet more of it pooled around the edges, unable to seep into the saturated material. Harpy grimaced and pulled the wool out, then froze when she heard a shout behind her from Mumbo.

"What on earth are you doing?"

\--

When he had first awoken that morning, Harpy had instantly ordered him to go out in search of mushrooms once again. Since Mumbo wasn't one for disobeying orders from someone who was nearly twice his size mass wise and easily able to look him in the eye, he’d complied. So now he was flying around the crazy terrain of the far lands, equal parts sightseeing and looking out for fungi.

He’d managed to snag a good amount of red mushrooms from the massive counterpart of the small fungus that was growing in an outcropping of tangled dark oak trees, but so far the brown version was eluding him. He landed on the small pathway they had taken the day before on their way to the phantom nest, and carefully peered out over the edge into the depths below. The reflection of the sun in the iced over lake at the bottom of the first layer of pit nearly blinded him, and he blinked and quickly looked away, back over to the makeshift mob platform that had been left as a memento to the fierce battle they had undertaken.

It seemed the phantoms had escaped the blockade Doc had built, and were well in the process of converting the cobblestone structure into a brand new wing of the hive. Several of the creatures hung from the bottom of it, glaring down at him but not attacking, as if they were aware of the dangers posed by the sunlight Mumbo was bathed in. Mumbo broke the gaze of the phantoms and looked back down below, shielding his eyes from the reflective ice and instead looking into the second smaller opening puncturing the very bottom of the hole.

Since he was unable to find any mushrooms on the surface, his next best bet was diving deeper underground to look for them. Mumbo checked over his elytra for wear and tear, calculating that he’d have plenty of durability in them to make his way back to the base, and stepped forward to jump into the hole. Then he stepped back and re checked the wings just to be sure, and then finally leapt off the edge, feeling the momentary panic he always did just before they opened and caught the air. He angled himself downwards and only just caught the beeps of messages from his communicator before the sound was whisked away from his ears by the rushing of the wind.

Mumbo shivered as the frigid air of the icy layer of caverns quickly bit into his jacket, and he skidded to a stop on the surface of the frozen lake and slipped his way over to the hole. Below, he could see a pool of lava bubbling at the bottom, before spotting what he was looking for on a close by ledge.

“Woo! Mushrooms!” A quick glide down later, he was collecting mushrooms and stuffing them away, and then decided to see what the messages he’d received were about. One was from the garbled mess of characters he’d come to know as belonging to Herobrine, and the message read:

**<͉|-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗> Harpy says we need more wool. Could you possibly grab some while you are out if you are able to? Thank you.**

That would mean once again facing the wrath of the sheep. Mumbo groaned, feeling the dull ache in his stomach from his last encounter with the demonic farm animals intensify. He’d at least give it a try, he decided, stashing the device away and fumbling his way into the air.

He shot out of the hole, and them rose out of the pit and circled around, on the lookout for any sheep he could find. As he did so, the communicator beeped again, and then again, and he quickly turned it to silent so he could focus on his task better. A puff of white caught his eye, and he swooped down and crashed his way into a tree to land, peeping through the branches to keep an eye on the sheep. It had quickly noticed his clumsy presence however, and was watching him closely, so Mumbo slid down from the tree and held his hands out.

“Okay, relax, I’m not going to hurt you, I just need some wool…” He stepped forward slowly, extracting a pair of shears from his pocket, which the sheep bleated softly at the sight of. However, it held still as he clipped the wool off of it’s flank, and Mumbo couldn’t help but give the animal the pat on the head.

“Good sheepy…” He mumbled. It stared at him straight in the eye.

The next moment Mumbo had the wind knocked out of him and was dropping from the cliff.

He’d barely managed to catch himself in time to stop his fall, and landed in amongst a pile of ice covered rocks with a sharp intake of breath. For a moment, he lay there trying to catch his breath, then decided to take a look at what was causing the racket from his communicator. The screen flashed on with a number of new message indicators from global chat, and he opened them, wondering just what was going on.

Oh.

Oh gosh.

**Docm77 was slain by Maia_Harper using ** ** _Enderswiper_ **

**Docm77 died**

**Docm77 died**

**Docm77 suffocated**

**Docm77 suffocated**

**Docm77 withered away**

**Docm77 bled out**

**Docm77 withered away while fighting !͉-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗**

**Docm77 died**

**Docm77 withered away**

**Docm77 died**

**Docm77 suffocated**

**Docm77 died**

**Docm77 died**

**Docm77 withered away**

**Docm77 drowned**

**Docm77 drowned**

**Docm77 drowned**

**Docm77 drowned**

**Docm77 bled out**

**Docm77 drowned**

**Docm77 bled out**

**Docm77 withered away**

**Docm77 bled out**

In what seemed to only be a few seconds, Mumbo was landing on the grass behind Harpy, Herobrine and Doc, horrified at the sight of all the blood everywhere.

“What on earth are you doing?” He shouted, his mind going through hundreds of explanations of how the two had finally snapped and taken their aggressions out on Doc. They spun around, wide eyed, then turned back to the cyborg again when he shuddered in a rasping breath and opened his eye.

“Please tell me you have the wool. Please. Oh god he’s gone again-” Mumbo’s communicator beeped, and a quick check told him of the reason.

**Docm77 bled out**

“Why is he bleeding out?” Mumbo cried, shouldering his way past Harpy and kneeling at Doc’s side. He instantly clamped his mouth shut to prevent himself from vomiting there and then at the sight of the gaping hole in Doc’s chest.

“Just so you know, he said he 100% wanted to go through with this. So he’s now sans a parasite, but also sans a large part of his chest cavity…” Harpy grabbed the wool out of Mumbo’s hands when he offered it to her and discarded the soaked rags to replace them with the fresh ones. It wasn't long until they were in the same state however. She tossed them aside and buried her face in her hands.

“Ffffffffuuuuuuuuu…It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!” 

"What did you expect it to turn out like?" Mumbo's voice had risen in pitch as he failed to disguise the growing anger inside him. He rounded on Harpy, his fists clenched tightly, and surprisingly enough she flinched away.

"I… don't know…" 

Mumbo closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe slowly, relaxing his limbs and uncurling his hands. He opened them again to find Herobrine cradling Doc while tears were dripping from his chin. Another beep signaled Doc's departure from the land of the living yet again, and Mumbo turned away, wondering if he was now just stuck in this deathloop forever. He rested his head in his hands, trying to think of any way possible they would be able to save him. Other than finding a way back home… 

If it took carrying Doc back over millions of blocks to save him, Mumbo decided he'd stop at nothing to do it.

"We have to get back." He whispered, mostly to himself. Harpy heard him though, and raised an eyebrow.

"How we going to though?"

"If it means walking for ten years straight, so be it. We get back into range of the system, Doc can respawn for real." She blinked, then smiled sadly, impressed at Mumbo's desire to help his friend, but knowing that such a feat was impossible. 

"Well… no better time to start than now." She told him. He visibly steeled himself, then rose to his feet and turned around. Wait, was he _ actually _ planning on carrying Doc all the way home?

Her question never got an answer though, as a sudden bursting sound and the explosion of thick green and yellow particles coated everything nearby. Mumbo yelped in shock as Harpy spun around to find the source, and saw Herobrine with his hand on Doc's chest, looking equally as surprised. He scrambled away from the cyborg, scattering the particles to reveal the mortal wound gone, having been replaced with a huge ugly scar, along with a smaller, more manageable gash in his skin.

At the sight of the scar, Mumbo's hand moved to the one he had himself, cutting through his hairline still. So it _ was _Herobrine who had healed him back then… shaking the thoughts from his mind, he practically leapt over to Doc and lifted him slightly, supporting his weight against his legs. The cyborg was deathly still and cold, causing a rising bubble of panic to form within Mumbo's stomach.

Then, just as this bubble was about to burst, Doc drew in a huge breath of air and opened his eye.

"D-Doc?" Mumbo stammered. He blinked and squinted at Mumbo, then grinned weakly.

"Hey Mumbo!" His voice was barely even a whisper, but it sent a huge wave of happiness washing through all three of them. Doc grimaced and slowly rolled over, then shakily got to his feet.

"Wait, dude! Don't try to sta-" Mumbo paused, seeing that Doc wasn't just trying to stand, but actually succeeding in the feat. He blinked around, swaying slightly but keeping his balance, and his eyes fell on the black mass of vines and tendrils that had been extracted from his body.

"That…" Mumbo stepped forward, offering himself as support should Doc need it.

"Th… that… Was _ inside _me??" His face turned even paler than it already was, and Mumbo was worried he would pass out there and then.

"Yup." Harpy confirmed. "Sorry… Didn't think it would get to be this bad…" She looked down at the bloodstained grass, unable to meet his gaze. Doc stood there, staring for a full minute before turning away.

"I need a moment…" He rasped, stumbling off to the nearest tree. Mumbo watched him lean over with his arm supporting him against the trunk, then cringed as the cyborg began to retch into the grass in front of him. He went over and rubbed Doc's back reassuringly, knowing how unpleasant dry-heaving was; He hadn't eaten a thing in days after all. So it was a huge surprise when a stomach load of congealed blood splashed onto the ground at his feet.

Mumbo jumped away in shock, then immediately stepped forward again to steady Doc as he groaned and nearly keeled over. He coughed out a final mouthful of bile and blood, then went limp. Harpy appeared at his other side, and together they guided the exhausted cyborg back to the shelter, finding Herobrine crumpled on the floor inside.

"Heh… me too man…" Doc whispered, collapsing on the bed and instantly falling unconscious. Mumbo looked around at the two passed out men in their shack, and felt and overwhelming tiredness crash down on him as well. He sunk to the floor with his back against the wall and buried his fingers in his hair, letting out a huge breath that he didn't know he was holding. Harpy apparently felt much the same, as she sat down opposite of Mumbo and rested her head on her knees.

"Well… that was an… experience." She sighed. Mumbo made a noise of agreement, uncurling his fingers from his hair and resting them in his lap.

"So now what?" He asked quietly. Harpy shrugged, then looked over to Doc and Herobrine's sprawled forms.

"No idea why Herobrine's out…" she muttered. "What even was that thing he did out there?" 

"Some sort of healing thing he can do to dying people." Mumbo explained, pointing to the scar on his head. "He did it to me too. And I recall that he passed out for three days straight afterwards." He motioned over to the man.

"So I think he'll be asleep for a while."

"Great." Harpy grumped. She got to her feet and went over to him, lifting him off the floor and tucking him into a bed, making sure that he was in a comfy position. Then she went to do the same to Doc, but paused when she saw he was still caked in his own blood.

"Can you go grab some water buckets? I gotta wash this guy down…" Harpy requested. Mumbo nodded and stepped back outside, spying an abandoned bucket close to the bloodstained patch of grass they'd operated Doc on. He grabbed it, along with the discarded wool, and made his way down to the spring in which they got their water from.

As he dipped the bucket into the water and cleaned out the wool, he caught sight of his haggard reflection staring back at him. Trying to stake out a living in the far lands had taken a lot out of all of them, and it was definitely beginning to show in the bags under his eyes and his unkempt hair. Mumbo sighed, then cupped some water in his hands to splash on his face, as well as smooth his hair back into a somewhat orderly style. Then he filled the bucket, grabbed the now clean wool, and headed back to the shelter, greeting the warmth as he stepped back inside.


	37. It's all fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things are starting to look better.

_Hungry._

The creeper slid out of the bed, easily freeing itself from the covers it was trapped under. It needed to _eat_. 

It sniffed at the air, seeking the scent of any _meat_ that was around it. Behind it, _meat_ lay, bundled in another bed. It's eye flicked over the _meat_, easily picking out the hot emenating from it's form. This _meat_ was alive. _Fresh._

However, despite the clawing emptiness in it's middle, the creeper did not move. The _meat_ smelt... _familiar. _The thought of eating it disguted it somehow. Instead, it looked elsewhere. 

Other than the hot from the _familiar meat_, the only other heat in the room was a nearby blaze in the wall. The creeper turned away from it, instead heading to the opposite side, in a place that was absorbing heat instead of emitting it. The wall there swung open, revealing more cool on the other side. Perhaps it would find _meat_ there.

There was _meat_ there. The warm took it by surprise, and it felt slight excitement. But this _meat_... it also smelt _familiar_. It can't eat it.

The _familiar meat_ still held his interest though. At it's feet sat a few containers, and the creeper's hearing could pick out the water plopping against the inside of them. It swallowed, and felt the dry flesh of it's throat move. It needed it.

The creeper lunged forward, diving for the water.

...

Full... sleep now...

\--

Harpy stumbled slightly under the weight of the water buckets as she made her way back to the shelter. She suppressed a yawn and set the buckets down by the door, taking the time to stretch her shoulders. Then the door slammed open, startling her, and she whipped around to see a green figure hunched in the doorway.

The sight immediately set off alarm bells inside her, and she instinctively placed a hand on the sword at her belt. But this wasn't a hostile creeper, she reminded herself.

"Woter-" 

"Huh? What?"

The creature barreled into Harpy, knocking her off her feet.

\--

As Mumbo landed back in the clearing, he was met with a rather strange sight; Harpy was attempting to drag Doc back into the shelter, and there were buckets strewn everywhere, including one on Doc's head.

"Uhhh." Was the only thing he managed to say. Harpy blinked at him, then grinned awkwardly.

"If that was meant to be a question, he barged out of the house, croaked something at me, downed 3 buckets of water and immediately passed out again." She explained. Mumbo took in the sight of Doc, noting how some colour had returned to his skin, and couldn't help but snort in amusement at the description he'd been given.

He made his way over and took the bucket off of the cyborg's head and placed it down, then held the door open so that Harpy could drag him through. She laid him back on the bed and pulled the covers over him, then turned back to Mumbo. He held the stacked buckets out to her.

"Guessing we need water then? I can do that!" The grateful smile he got from her sent a spike of happiness through him as he walked away to the spring. 

\--

_Not full... Still hungry..._

The creeper was awake again. He was back in the bed, once more trapped under the covers. The room around him, it smelt of _meat_. But it was all _familiar meat_. His empty stomach let out an angry rumble at the presence of the forbidden food, and he slithered back out of the bed and crept out of the door. 

Outside, he listened to the sounds around him. He could hear _prey_ in the trees above, their calls disguised by the rustling of leaves. There was no chance he'd ever catch that _meat_. Instead, he slowly turned his head, letting the noises around him filter into his ears one by one. 

The bubbling of water caught the creeper's attention. He turned towards it, considering the option. He no longer needed to drink; the fullness water gave him was false. However, _prey_ lived in water. 

The streamlined shape of the _meat_ swam across his mind's eye, making him drool slightly. Spurred on by the ravenous growling inside him, he set off towards the noise.

\--

The sun was filtering through the leaves above him, reflecting sparkles off of the pool of water that gave the small grove an almost mystic feel. Mumbo placed a few buckets under the flow of water where it seeped out of the rock, then sat down to watch the fish swim lazy circles in the water. A movement out of the corner of his eye make him look over, and he gulped at the sight of the spotted green form crouched at the water's edge like a jaguar ready to pounce.

"Doc?" Mumbo asked quietly. Doc didn't react to his name being called, instead remaining fixated on the fish in the water. He leaned forward ever so slightly, and in a splash that made Mumbo flinch and blink away, Doc was gripping onto a fish in his hands. 

"Nice catch!" Mumbo exclaimed, thoroughly impressed at the feat. Doc did not acknowledge the complement however, as he continued to just stare at the fish for a long time.

\--

The _meat_, it was in his hands. He had swiped it from it's home, his eyes easily picking the slightly higher temperature of the _prey_ from the surroundings. Now it was struggling to free itself from his grip. However, he would never let go. His stomach yearned for it. He couldn't wait any longer.

\--

Mumbo shifted closer, slightly concerned about his friend's behaviour. 

He was, however, _ not _ prepared for the action that happened next. That action being the cyborg to bite down on the head of the fish, tip his head back and gulp the entire thing down whole. 

\--

_Finally._

The feeling of the _meat_ slipping down to fill the hollow void, it was the best thing he'd felt in a long long time. Finally, not hungry. He had eaten. He was ful- wait was that _Mumbo??_

Doc was frozen for a moment, then he suddenly whipped his head around to face Mumbo with the tip of the fish's tailfin still sticking out of his mouth. Obviously he hadn't realized the redstoner was present to be an audience to his hunger-induced feral behaviour. The two stared at each other for a moment, then Doc swallowed the fish entirely.

"Uh… hey Mumbo!" He grinned sheepishly. Mumbo simply squeaked in reply. After the initial shock of what he'd just witnessed passed, it was replaced by concern. He was pretty sure that after an extended fast, one should start slow when it came to reintroducing food to their system. But then again, Doc wasn't a human, since Mumbo was 99% certain humans couldn't do _ tha_, so maybe he'd be okay. He smiled awkwardly back and waved slightly.

"Hungry?" He asked. Doc nodded, looking away. Mumbo shrugged.

"Not surprised. How you feeling?"

"Better." He answered truthfully. "...Thank you." 

"No need, Doc. You were in danger, we had to help. You'd do the same for me." At that, Doc smiled slightly.

"Yeah… you right. But still, thank you." He rested his metal hand on Mumbo's shoulder, and Mumbo flinched as the fingers dug in a bit too tightly. Doc's smile dropped and he quickly let go.

"Shit sorry! Forgot my arm was damaged. Don't have as much control over it." 

"It's all good. Want to get back to the house? I can help you fix your arm if you want." Mumbo offered. Doc nodded and pushed himself to his feet, grabbing some of the water buckets that had long since been overflowing. Mumbo hooked his arm through the handles of the rest, and the two made their way back to the base. 

\--

As they came out into the clearing, Harpy appeared, looking a bit frantic. She visibly relaxed when she spotted Doc just behind Mumbo and ran over to him.

"I turn my back for five seconds and you're gone? Where did you get off to?" Mumbo clamped his mouth tightly to stop himself from bursting out laughing, but a strained snort still made it through. 

"Food." Doc answered, rolling his eye as he walked past her and shouldered his way into the shack. Mumbo followed him in and placed the buckets down by the fireplace, then motioned to Doc to do the same. 

"Man, he's really out isn't he?" Doc noted, jerking his head over to where Herobrine was fast asleep in his bed. His arm suddenly spasmed, knocking a bucket over right into the flames, making them sizzle out.

"Dammit man…"

"We going to take a look at that?" Mumbo asked as Doc sat down heavily on the bed.

"Yeah. Just a moment, gotta get the tools out." He replied, fiddling with a part of the joint that built his elbow. It unscrewed off of his arm and fell to the floor, prompting Mumbo to place down a table that they could work on. Doc rested the arm on it and started poking at the metal, seemingly getting annoyed at something and making Mumbo raise his eyebrow in confusion. 

"You need help?" He asked, and got a vigorous shake of a head as an answer.

"I got this. I… got this!" Doc finally managed to slot his claw into a hole and twist it, making a small compartment pop open. From that he pulled out several small tools before closing it again. 

"Oh… so that's how you always had a screwdriver handy!" Mumbo exclaimed. "That's cool!" 

Doc smiled and laid the tools out neatly on the table, then grabbed one to begin his self-repairs.

Mumbo watched intently as he unscrewed and removed the protective metal plating, revealing the servos underneath. He'd always had a mild curiosity at whatever made Doc's robotic parts tick, ever since the cyborg had first been sighted and subsequently invited to live in their community. One that had never been satisfied since it would be weird to just walk up to him one day and ask _ hey can I take you apart to see how you run? No reason I'm just curious. _

The clink of metal on wood drew his attention back to the task at hand, and he focused on Doc to see he had a screwdriver clamped in his teeth and a spanner in his hand. He was squinting hard at something whilst trying to slot the tool into place, and becoming increasingly frustrated as it missed its mark yet again. 

"You need help?" Mumbo offered once more, feeling awkward to just be sitting there uselessly while Doc struggled at his task.

"No! I'm fine!" He snapped, making the redstoner flinch back at the unexpected harshness. His expression softened when he took note of this.

"I... Sorry… it's just… I can…" Doc finally sighed and dipped his head in defeat as the spanner slipped off and jammed into his elbow joint. 

"You need a lie down?" Harpy asked over from the fireplace. Doc shook his head.

"My head's fine. The problem is my… my…" He trailed off, as if he was scared to admit what was troubling him.

"Your what?" She sat down beside him.

"My eye. I can't see shit." He finally admitted. Mumbo raised his eyebrows in realization. After so adamantly denying his relationship to his wild brethren, Doc was unwilling to admit he was still subject to the same basal biological limitations as them, especially in front of Harpy. Usually his technological enhancements would counteract these weaknesses, but with them broken… 

Mumbo sighed and took hold of the spanner, gently easing it out of the inner workings of the cyborg's arm. Doc held still as the redstoner got to work loosening the bolt that he was struggling with, looking away as to not meet anyone's gaze. Mumbo placed the bolt to one side and held the spanner out to him, and he took it gratefully.

"Don't be afraid to ask for assistance if you need it." Mumbo reminded him. 

"Kinda need it now. Screws on the back I can't reach." He mumbled, handing the required tool to Mumbo before turning around. Mumbo quickly got to work while Doc watched him over his shoulder. Soon the screw clattered free to the table.

"Thanks man." He said while grabbing hold of his arm. A few moments of wriggling later, the entire limb slid free of the component it was attached to, and Doc turned back around to lay it on the table. He leaned in close to it and began to examine it for any damage.

"More than I thought…" He grumbled to himself as he grabbed a tool and set to work. 

"Got got a redstone torch, Mumbo?" Mumbo nodded and placed one on the table, which Doc proceeded to take and hold to several components inside. He sat back to watch the process, fascinated, and a quick look to the side revealed Harpy was in much the same state of mind. Although unlike her, he was actually able to understand some of the inner workings he saw.

"Hey Mumbo… can you tell me if the signal is reaching all the way down this wire here?" Doc suddenly requested as he pointed to something inside the arm. Mumbo leaned over to fix his eyes on the cable he was indicating, and Doc unfixed the cable from it's socket and rested the end of it outside the casing. Then he held the redstone torch to the end, and the signal shot through the wire, illuminating it in a bright red. However, partway down, the signal stopped dead, and Mumbo pointed this out to Doc.

"It reaches here and stops."

"Crap. Thanks." 

\--

Harpy watched the two technical Hermits fuss over the metal limb for a short while longer before getting to her feet and wandering back over to the bed Herobrine was asleep on. He still showed no signs of coming to, and it was making her increasingly worried. Mumbo had stated that when Herobrine had done the strange healing thing before, he'd fallen into a deep sleep then too, but the sight of someone so completely dead to the world while not actually being dead was unnerving.

Harpy smoothed the sheets over his shoulder and kneeled down so she was eye level with him. His face was peaceful as he slept, maybe even smiling slightly. A far cry from the constant look of terror he wore when he was awake. She brushed some hair out of his eyes and then turned away, heading back to the fireplace where the pot of water she'd set on the heat had begun to boil.

The murmurings of technical jargon from the two men at the table filled the quiet shack, of which Harpy found enjoyment in listening to as she stirred in the ingredients for a stew. She understood the meaning of one or two of the words that were being thrown around, at least she would in any other context.

"The tooth went right through this cable here I think, the internal structure is damaged. Without the proper equipment I'll have to just replace this entire section. I think I can fashion a makeshift redstone cable out here though luckily."

"I'm guessing there's a difference between a line and a cable?" 

"See for yourself. A line wouldn't withstand the pressures of everyday wear and tear that an arm gets."

"Oh wow it's like a rubber hose! How did you do this?"

"Science."

"Hah! No really how?"

"Reacted with slime and things, and a catalyst. Do you have slime on you?"

"A few blocks yes."

There came a squishing noise as said blocks were placed on the table.

"And what of the catalyst?" 

"We need ingredients from the nether to do it properly… stuff like blaze powder and netherwart. With some glowstone dust to act as the catalyst."

"Oh." There was a moment of silence.

"I can substitute some ingredients. The wire won't be as durable but it should last until we get home." 

Harpy smiled to herself as she filled a bowl with stew. Doc sounded so enthusiastic when he talked about the technology that made him. It reminded her of Diana, and her crazy monologues when it came to the minute details of whatever latest thing that had caught her attention.

An icy claw of sadness dug into her heart when she remembered that she'd never hear that voice again, the thing that both drove her mad and yet also kept her sane when it came to the long distances the Herobrine hunters would travel. She shook her head to clear the thoughts away before they took hold of her emotions, only to have them replaced by ones even more difficult to bear. A smiling face that she'd held so dear, that she would protect to her last breath - that she'd failed.

Harpy had to place the bowl down before her shaking hands spilled the contents.

"Crushed flint for glowstone, gunpowder for blaze powder, mushroom for nether wart. Okay. Hey Harp- are you okay?" Harpy let out a breath as Mumbo crouched by her side.

"I'm fine. It's alright." She told him, steeling herself against the wave of emotions and pushing them back down. She grabbed the bowl again and placed a spoon into it, before bringing it over to the table and setting it down next to Doc, who had his one hand full of mechanical parts, a mouth full of tools and one foot clamped around the end of the arm to hold several components in place. He looked around at her in surprise as she did so, then dropped the parts he was holding to take the tools out from between his teeth.

"Oh! Thank you!"

Harpy ruffled his hair in reply, making him grunt indignantly, an action that made Mumbo snort loudly in return. 

"How come you aren't mothering him around?" Doc asked before taking the spoon out of the bowl and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Oh, she has been. You just weren't awake at those times." Mumbo told him. 

"Mnnhmmm? Sssooor see is…" He mumbled. Then he swallowed, tossed the spoon aside and lifted the bowl to his lips to gulp the stew down as quickly as possible. Harpy cringed, but a squeeze on her shoulder and a look from Mumbo told her that she did not need to worry.

"He'll be fine." Mumbo stated before heading towards the door. Then he paused and turn around on the spot.

"Oh yeah, did you keep any mushrooms?"

"Yep. Red ones." Harpy replied. Mumbo nodded.

"Alright. Gunpowder, flint, I'll be back in a jiffy!"

The door clicked shut, leaving ex-hunter and cyborg alone in the shack, along with an unconscious man bundled in a bed by the back wall. 

"I got to take a look at that chest wound, flower." Harpy told Doc, who rolled his eye at the nickname.

"Alright." He leant back and looked away while she got to work, planning in his head how he was going to go about fixing his arm when Mumbo returned. A spike of pain made him hiss slightly, and Harpy recoiled away from him.

“S-sorry!”

She sighed and stepped forward again.

“It’s fine…”

“You know… I’ve never noticed just how often I hiss before.” Doc stated with a chuckle.

“Guess all your hermit buddies are just used to it?” Harpy suggested while reapplying a bandage. He shrugged.

“Often times I go solo, but I don't remember anyone mentioning anything in the times I do work with other people.” The two fell silent as Harpy finished re-bandaging Doc’s injury. She turned away and placed the wool back in a chest, then went back to find Doc raiding the pot of stew. Alright, fair enough.

\--

The door swung open a short while later, and Mumbo came in, looking slightly breathless.

“Okay, got the things, bad news is the hunters are very much around the area and looking for us. I think I’ve lost them for now but who knows how long it will be until they find our base.” He raised his eyes to look in to the room, and paused when he saw Doc with his face half buried in a bowl and Harpy in the corner looking rather amused.

“That’s his fifth helping y’know.” She chuckled. Doc placed the bowl down and proceeded to flip the bird at her before resuming.

“Okay?” Mumbo dropped the items he’d collected in the table and sat down, running his hands through his hair with a heavy exhale.

“Did they hurt you?” Harpy asked quietly.

“Not badly. Just two arrows in the leg.” He showed the tears in his trousers corresponding to the wounds, and flinched when Harpy proceeded to kneel down and peel the fabric back from the wounds.

“It’s okay, Harpy, I can deal with-” She was already treating them. Mumbo sighed again and looked back to Doc, who was wiping his mouth on his arm.

“Man, Harpy, are you an actual mother by any chance? You seem awfully insistent at taking care of us.” He questioned. At the query, Harpy went stiff.

“I…” There was an extended period of silence.

“I was.”

_ Oh. _

At that, Doc quickly collected the ingredients Mumbo had gathered and shuffled over to the fireplace to get to work, while Harpy had finished treating Mumbo’s wounds and backed away.

Her expression was sullen, and Mumbo couldn't help but feel awkward at how she’d obviously just been subjected to some rather painful memories. Yet at the same time, nothing that he thought of to say seemed right, so instead he kept his mouth shut and wandered his way over to the back of the room and sat down next to the bed Herobrine was still asleep in.

“How much longer you going to be out, buddy?” He mumbled to the sleeping man before closing his own eyes and leaning his head back on the wall. A sudden thought came to him when he thought back to the sunset he’d experienced while out gathering materials.

“I’m going to go inform the hermits about our situation, okay?” He announced while getting to his feet and stepping over to the door.

“Okay.” Came the answer and Mumbo shut the door behind him and jumped into the air, narrowly missing a tree.

A few blasts of rockets soon had him landing on the tip of the rocky spires, and he sat down on the still warm grass to begin the chatting.

** _Connecting to group chat _ ** **Far lands...**

** _Connected to group chat _ ** **Far lands.**

**<Xisuma> Few days? It’s only been about a day since we last spoke?**

**<Xisuma> Please tell me you got the last message.**

**<MumboJumbo> what? wait, how long has passed since you last heard from me? it’s been about a day since then out here.**

**<MumboJumbo> also we got the parasite out. herobrine’s passed out but doc seems okay now.**

Mumbo laid the device on the ground and leaned back on his elbows, watching the stars emerge as he waited for a reply.

_ Beep. Beep. Beep Beep. Bee- _

**<Xisuma> Oh thank goodness.**

**<Xisuma> What’s wrong with Herobrine though?**

**<Xisuma> And is Doc feeling any side effects?**

**<Xisuma> Has he been eating?**

**<Xisuma> It’s only been 6 hours since your last message**

**<Xisuma> We’re looking into helping get you guys home.**

**<MumboJumbo> well, harpy and hero pulled the thing out of doc, but he got caught in a deathloop of sorts. **

**<Xisuma> Oh gosh**

**<MumboJumbo> do you remember the thing that happened back when me and Hero first met? with the totem and stuff?**

**<MumboJumbo> it was him who did it. he passed out for a long time back then too right?**

**<Xisuma> Yes.**

**<MumboJumbo> he did it to doc. Healed a massive hole in his chest into a less massive gash, and then fell asleep**

**<Xisuma> Interesting.**

**<Xisuma> Is Doc alright with that injury?**

**<MumboJumbo> he ate half his bodyweight in stew and an entire salmon, and is currently working on his arm. i think he’ll be fine.**

**<Xisuma> An entire salmon?**

**<MumboJumbo> raw. and whole. down in one. kind of freaky**

**<Xisuma> Can’t say I haven’t seen something like that before.**

**<Xisuma> Anything else I need to know?**

**<Xisuma> And I saw you mention a Harpy? Is she with you?**

**<MumboJumbo> she’s the one that got mad at the leader for killing diana**

**<Xisuma> Oh yes! I must tell you something!**

**<MumboJumbo> she won’t stop treating us like we’re her children.**

**Diana_Rightwood has joined**

**<Diana_Rightwood> Wait my name reset?**

**<Xisuma> I got her back.**

**<MumboJumbo> Oh?**

**<Diana> Is Herobrine with you? Please tell him I’m okay.**

**<Diana> ish**

**<MumboJumbo> so you respawned?**

**<Xisuma> She was in hardcore mode or something, I forgot she’d changed her name and for a while it was looking like she was permanantly dead.**

**<Diana> X delved into the deepest darkest pits of the void to wrench my soul back into the land of the living.**

**<Diana> Or, yeah, that ^**

**<MumboJumbo> i’ll tell herobrine when he’s awake**

**<Xisuma> anyway, it is great to hear things are doing alright over where you are at. Trust us when we say we are working on trying to figure out something to get you home.**

**<Xisuma> Can you ask Doc to contact me soon? We may need assistance from him.**

**<MumboJumbo> will do**

Mumbo changed his chat from the group one over to just Doc, then gasped when he saw the most recent message.

**<Docm77 > MumboJumbo> Please come back, we have a bit of a situation!**

** _Connected to group chat _ ** **Far lands.**

**<MumboJumbo> I gotta go. Ttyl**

And with that, Mumbo stuffed the communicator back into his pocket and launched himself off the spire, shooting into the blackness below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doc vores an entire salmon ASMR.
> 
> Note: I have like 3 paragraphs of the next chapter written and 0 plans of how to write it, so it might take longer than usual. (Holiday laziness got me down lol)


	38. Far lands tower defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which friend and foe goes against foe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH LORD THIS CHAPTER GAVE ME ISSUES.
> 
> Between holiday laziness, writers block and extreme procrastination it's a wonder this chapter got finished at all. I've barely even read through it.
> 
> Good news is I actually have plans for the next one, so it shouldn't take as long.  
Bad news is I've now jinxed myself by saying that.

Doc pushed the newly solidified cable into the socket, then clamped his toes around the arm to hold it still while he collected the bolts needed to hold the cable in place. He could feel the gaze of Harpy watching him, which, despite their truce, still set alarm bells off in his subconsciousness.

She really was something that a creeper would fear, and regardless of his best efforts, he was still affected by her mere presence. A component slipped loose from the grasp of his foot, making him clench his jaw in annoyance.

"Times like this I wish I grew myself more toes." Doc grumbled to himself.

"Uhhhhhhhh excuse me what?????"

"Nothing." He looked back at her, then stopped a snort when he once again caught sight of the slime splattered all over the walls. Turns out recklessly heating a substance containing gunpowder was a bad idea. Harpy shook her head and tutted.

"I sure hope you're going to take care of this mess!" 

"I will, don't worry!" He fixed a screw into place, then grabbed the arm to inspect it for any residual damage. 

"A little help? I can't see well enough to align this properly." Harpy came over, and with a quick pointing of what part goes where, was soon helping slot the arm back into place. The red lights flickered as the power flooded into it, and started glowing steadily again.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Flower." She sat back to watch Doc start piecing the outer casing back together, but was soon helping him again when it became too difficult.

"I should have started with my eye instead of my arm…" He growled in frustration. 

"Would have saved you some trouble yes." Harpy agreed.

"Might have made things worse though, got some very delicate workings in there. With a glitchy arm who knows what I could have damaged." He fumbled a screw into his hand then held it out to her. "This goes in the back."

"Got it." Doc held still as she got to work. Compared to the quick and adept fingers of Mumbo, she was slow and unsure, being careful as to not break anything.

It took a few minutes but soon enough every part was back into place. 

"Good job." He congratulated her.

"Was it?" 

"Yeah. I assume you've never worked with redstone before? Especially not this kind of stuff." He rotated his arm around the joints a bit as he spoke, wiggling the fingers to test out their functionality and unsheathing the hidden claws in the tips one by one.

"All seems good." 

Something slammed against the door.

"Never mind." 

The two instantly sprung into fighting stances. For a moment all was still, then the head of an axe crunched through the thin wood.

"Heeeey there! Come out and play!" 

"Ugh… Brad… go fuck yourself." The door broke down, revealing the silhouette of the man behind it.

"Harpy?? I thought you were dead!" The look on his face was somewhat fearful as he took in the sight of her.

"The hell made you think that?" She asked incredulously. 

"Flynn said you'd be dead. He got you real good with the wither." He sighed. "Here I was hoping…"

Harpy looked between Brad and Doc, who shrugged at her.

"Yeah, no, go away." Doc said as he placed some cobblestone in the doorway before turning to Harpy. "Seems they found us, crap. Now what?" 

"I am honestly not sure. This is a situation I would have never expected myself to be in, so I never planned for such eventualities." Something smashed against the wooden wall.

"Okay, no offence but do you still have any loyalty to these guys?" Doc asked.

"I… don't know how to answer that question. I tell myself no, yet deep down…" She looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"Understandable. Just, try your best okay? These guys all want us dead." Harpy nodded.

"Alright. Let's go."

With that, the two burst out of the shack and bore down on Brad, who screamed and turned tail to run away. At the edge of the trees, several more hunters were gathered in preparation to attack, and Doc wasted no time in lobbing his trident at them. It sunk into the back of one hunter, knocking him down almost instantly, and another grabbed the weapon with a wry grin.

Unfortunately, the weapon's loyalty lay with the one who threw it, and it returned with a now panicking hunter in tow. As soon as he caught sight of Harpy brandishing a sword at him, he let go and fled. It was not long until the rest were following suit.

"Well… That was easy." Doc mused.

"They'll be back. We have to get out of here." Harpy sheathed the sword and let out a breath.

"But what about Mumbo? Or Herobrine?" Doc asked. He frowned as his ears caught the faint sound of shuffling in the undergrowth, and turned to face the noise. 

"And they're still here…"

"They are?" Harpy looked around her, listening intently but hearing nothing.

"Deeper in, but from all sides. We're surrounded." Doc scowled as he went to message Mumbo. 

"Great, they're laying siege…" Harpy groaned as she slunk back inside and sat on a bed, casually twiddling her sword against the ground. A few minutes later Mumbo flopped down from the air, landing somewhat soundly and folding his wings closed.

"What's the situation, Doc?"

"Get the hell inside, we're surrounded on all sides by hunters." The redstoner did not need telling twice. Doc followed him in and blocked the door. 

"Okay. This is not good. Now what?"

"You said they were laying siege?" Doc asked to Harpy, who nodded.

"We did it before with Herobrine. Never worked back then since, well, I don't even know how long this guy can go without food. Longer than 7 months, which is the longest we managed to stake him out before becoming impatient. I know for a fact I can't go that long, that's for sure…"

"Ten years…" Mumbo mumbled, almost to himself. Harpy blinked.

"Okay, but still, we need a plan to get ourselves out of here."

"Someone's right outside." Doc suddenly cut in. With a sigh, Harpy took Mumbo's pick out of his hands and went over to the blockade in the doorway. 

"I'll see who it is." She told them as she knocked some cobble out of the hole. The next moment she jammed said cobble back into the gap and stumbled away, leading Doc to catch her before she fell.

"Serious lapse of judgement on my part." Harpy gasped, her hand clutched tight around an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Then she went limp.

"Oh gosh- Harpy? No oh no…" 

"Relax, man, she's alive. I think that's a sleep arrow." Doc grimaced while placing her on the bed. "We are, however, now stuck here. Sooo…"

"So… we're screwed basically." Mumbo sighed.

"No. We can get through this." Doc opened a chest and dived in, throwing stuff over his shoulder as he searched for anything useful.

"Wait, when the hell did we run so low on supplies?"

"I mean, you ate all the mushrooms earlier." Mumbo pointed out.

"I'm not talking about that! Our tools are getting worn down, our armour is on the verge of breaking, there's no such thing as exp here so they're not being mended, we're fucked. They're going to break in, kill Harpy, get to Herobrine, we'll be stuck in a deathloop..." He slammed the chest shut and threw a final redstone torch away, which bounced off of Mumbo's head, giving him an idea.

"Then they won't break in!" He exclaimed, puffing his chest out and standing tall in an attempt to look confident.

"How can you be so sure man?"

"Traps!" Doc stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"We trap the living bajeesus out of the place, catch them out if they try to get in! Build sneaky ones right under their feet! Keep them at bay until Hero and Harpy are back." Mumbo was enthusiastically waving his arms around as he spoke, and he gathered some of the items that had been tossed to the floor to hold it out to Doc. "We have the stuff!" 

Doc stared at him for a full minute, then a glint of mischief flared in his eye, and his mouth slowly curved into a toothy grin.

"Heck yeah, man! Redstone them bitches!" 

"I'll start the hole for the pitfalls then, you think about what else we could do." Mumbo ordered before digging his way into the floor. Doc blinked, then looked over the redstone supplies they had, mentally puzzling together what they could be used to create. Soon his brain was swarming with ideas, each one more dastardly than the last. Mumbo presently reappeared and began collecting what he needed.

"You got any plans?" He asked him.

"Yep! I'll go start them now, you do the pitfalls." Doc answered, jumping to his feet and digging a tunnel into a wall. Mumbo watched him go with confusion, then shrugged and turned back to start his own tasks.

\--

The longer Doc spent padding his way along the endless tunnel, the worse his idea seemed to become. It was based off of many assumptions, and if even one of these was false the entire plan was off, and he'd become wallpaper. It was hard to ignore the bubbling fear in his gut as he came closer to the dark hole that held naught but death inside, but there was no turning back now; the trap was set, and it would be a waste of their meagre resources to not follow through. He could smell their excitement, the smell of smouldering gunpowder that made his stomach turn. They'd seen him.

_ Not prey. _

He hissed out to the watching horde, trying his best to disguise his fright. The sparks of excitement somewhat dulled, replaced with a multitude of other emotions. He could sense confusion, disappointment, wariness, and even anger and resentment. Most of which should never be felt coming from a tangle of Creepers.

_ You prey. We destroy. _One of them spat at him.

_ You destroy we. _Another one growled.

Doc gulped nervously. Seemed they did indeed remember their last meeting.

_ Me not destroy you. Me… _

he struggled to find a way to explain what he was here for to them. Creepers weren't meant to have an actual language, this was completely new to him.

"Help?" Doc said out loud. The closest creeper tilted it's head in confusion.

_ Not destroy we. Destroy what? _

Doc grinned at them.

_ Prey. Me destroy prey. You destroy prey. _

He motioned with his head to the creepers to follow him, then turned back to the tunnel. When he looked behind him, only two of the monsters were on his tail. Better then nothing, he supposed. 

Instead of leading the creepers back into the house, which would have been a bad idea, Doc instead turned down a new tunnel that led down under the clearing. As he'd hoped, they caught the smell of the hunters above them and immediately became excited.

_ Prey! Prey! Prey! Prey! _

"Okay, guys, chill out. Can you bring the rest of your buddies out here?" Doc asked, looking back to see one of the creepers skipping away chanting

_ We! We! We! We! We! _

"I'm taking that as a yes." He took one final check of the mechanism he'd built that would release the creepers onto the hunters above, then ducked away and sealed the tunnel to prevent any unwanted visitors. Hopefully they would not get impatient and blow their way out themselves. Although he had a plan for the even of that happening, of course. 

Mumbo turned to face him as he re-entered the main living room, with redstone dust clinging to the fibers of his suit and the hairs of his moustache. 

"Why on earth do I hear creeper hisses?" He asked, looking rather concerned.

"I recruited a few… volunteers." Doc grinned back. He could hear the soft padding of multitudes of creeper feet making their way into the containment area, which made him smile wider. Although if even one of them decided to blow…

"We gotta move though. They won't wait for long." Doc brushed past Mumbo and went into the hollow that was dug and filled with redstone contraptions. Mumbo had certainly been busy, building just about everything that the two had talked about while Doc was creating his creeper dispenser. 

"Egg dispensers are done? Did that single egg actually produce a chicken?"

"Yes! I was shocked. It's over there." Mumbo pointed to a corner where a very fat looking poultry was nestled happily into a hopper.

"He's only given me 6 eggs so far, but it's good to go." 

"He?" Doc asked in amusement.

"Uh, she?" Mumbo corrected himself. They both snorted and chuckled to each other, then immediately snapped out of it when the sound of something bashing against the wall shook the room. Doc groaned and went to the wall, grabbing a shield and his trident and standing aside while Mumbo chopped a hole in the barricade. The planks fell away, instantly followed by a yellow blur and a flurry of arrows, which dug into Doc's shield. A few throws of a trident later the attacking hunters retreated again, and Doc filled in the hole then turned back to Mumbo. The redstoner was sat against the wall looking dazed while cradling a blob of yellow and black fuzz. 

"Wait, those aren't even a thing yet!" 

"Huh?" He looked down at the creature he was holding, then back at Doc. "His name is Mumbee."

"Alright."

"Also I can use this honey!"

"Whatever, man." Doc turned away, highly amused at just how quickly Mumbo had taken to the fluffy insect. He went back down into the redstone filled hollow to check one final time that the traps were set and ready to go.

"We doing this?" 

"Yep." The two took their places, and Doc drew in a deep breath, then knocked the cobble in the doorway down, quickly blocking 3 arrows with his shield.

"Let's do this."

The next few minutes that went down could only be described as chaos. Glorious, glorious chaos.

The hunters broke out of the trees and charged towards him, and he shouted out "PIT!" Right on cue, the ground fell away from beneath them, causing several of the hunters to drop with a confused yell. The two that made it over the pitfalls jumped back when the ground opened yet again, this time rapid firing a volley of arrows.

They skirted to the side to avoid them, then stumbled away from yet another hole that had opened to avoid those arrows too. However, instead of deadly projectiles, the dispenser spat out a few eggs instead. It was merely a folly to direct them towards the true trap; the ignited TNT they tripped over. It detonated, sending them flying away with pained yelps.

Doc could not help but cackle like a maniac at the sheer panic that befell the hunters. 3 more had quickly left the scene, not wanting to deal with the ground itself turning against them. Beneath one, the earth dropped away, then shot back into place again with a thick goopy yellow substance smeared on the surface. The hunter squelched her boot down into it, then realised in alarm that she was now stuck.

The next moment the ground beneath her exploded, sending her sprawling into the forest. The hunters that had fallen down the hole were nearly out, having trouble as the slime smeared walls bounced them away from freedom. One that had gotten through all of the traps charged towards Doc, who stamped on a button to send a flood of water in his direction, washing him back. He fell over into the stream and gasped as the cold water instantly soaked through his clothes. A rapid firing dispenser of arrows later, he was scrabbling his way out of the clearing.

It was pure and utter pandemonium, and the two Hermits were loving every second of it.

"Okay Mumbo, stay out of sight I'm going to launch the finale!" Doc called out. He smacked his hand down on the button, and the pistons retracted, revealing the hole that was _ brimming _ with creepers. Mentally, Doc thanked them for being patient, and leaned against the doorway to watch the display unfold.

As soon as the creepers were spotted galloping towards them, the hunters collectively pissed themselves. The air was filled with screams, hisses and explosions, with monster outnumbering human 3 to 1. The ragtag group turned tail and fled, with the tangle filing into the forest after them. Doc glanced to the side to see Mumbo and Mumbee watching, the former of whom was grinning wildly.

"I see what you mean by volunteers now." He exclaimed breathlessly. Mumbee buzzed slightly from it's position as Mumbo's hat. 

"That went well. That went amazingly well!" 

"It went spectacular!" 

The two looked at each other, then finally could not hold it in anymore. They sank to the floor, clutching their sides as they howled with laughter. It went on for several minutes until they had calmed down enough to gather themselves.

"What in the hell is going on here?" 

The two Hermits looked over at Harpy, who was rubbing her eyes. She peered around the room and took in the sight of the puffy chicken in it's hopper nest, several holes dug into the wall, redstone dust everywhere, including all over the two men huddled on the floor barely containing themselves, and a very disgruntled looking bee sitting on Mumbo's's head.

"Wait, oh fuck the hunt-"

"We dealt with them!" Mumbo chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye.

"You did? How?" 

"Redstone, ingenuity and a ton of creepers." Doc replied. Harpy's face twisted into a scowl.

"The hunters are gone." Mumbo finished quickly. The bee on his head buzzed and lifted into the air, bumbling away out of the door and disappearing into the distance.

"Mumbee noooo!"

Doc sighed.

"He has a hive to get back to, like we have a home to get back to. I don't think you'll be able to bring him back anyway."

"Ah, yes, speaking of that! My latest talk with Xisuma. He told me that he managed to bring Diana back! Also that they're working o-" Mumbo stuttered as Harpy grabbed him tightly by the shoulders.

"DIANA'S BACK?" She shouted.

"Uhh… yeah? He said something about her being in hardcore mode. I guess he just changed it and she respawned." He cringed at the look in Harpy's eyes as he spoke, suddenly realising that she was most likely unfamiliar with the concept of respawning. To her, Diana was gone for good, so just so casually dropping the bomb of the dead coming back to life would affect her in ways Mumbo would not understand. He swallowed awkwardly then looked at Doc.

"X also said that he wanted to talk to you."

Doc rolled his eye and sighed, already predicting the all too familiar lecture he was no doubt going to get on the importance of self care.

"Alright." He got to his feet and trudged out of the door, slipping his elytra on before realising that it was still very much broken. Mumbo quickly offered his own wings and rockets to him, and soon he was flying away to the tip of the far lands.

"And people tease me about my flying skills…" He grumbled as the trails of the multitudes of fireworks the cyborg had used to get himself airborne faded.

"He's like twice your weight, give him a break." Harpy said from the inside. Mumbo sighed and went in to sit down beside her, awkwardly twiddling his thumbs on his lap.

"Sorry for scaring you like that." She mumbled.

"Nono, I'm sorry for just unloading something so heavy on you!" He shot back. "Us respawning is weird to-"

"I know about you guys respawning, I figured it out when I cut the same blue slime in half twice." She slowly drew in a deep breath, then released it. "It's just… I… guess I kind of… I dunno… like, we can't respawn, and I didn't think that was able to be changed. These uh… 'admin' powers… they're really strong when someone knows what to do with them." 

Mumbo nodded along.

"So I guess it's kind of scary to me. Thank goodness Flynn is terrible with that talisman of his." She chuckled.

"Talisman?" Mumbo asked.

"Yeah, a block of sorts with buttons all over it."

"Like a command block?"

"Sure." Harpy shrugged. Mumbo frowned and twiddled his moustache a bit while Harpy laid down with a thump.

"Soooo uh… what's all this mess of stuff then? Care to explain it?" 

The look on Mumbo's face instantly told Harpy that she'd made a terrible mistake.


	39. Heist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they finally figure out how to get home. It won't be easy though... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where did my previous word flow go? I'm struggling to write chapters, I'm so sorry this one took so long for how short it is.

** _Connecting to group chat _ ** **Far lands...**

** _Connected to group chat _ ** **Far lands.**

**<Docm77> Hey.**

**<Docm77> please don't start. what do you need me for?**

**<Xisuma> Doc, why did you not say anything about your condition sooner? We could have helped!!!**

**<Docm77> if you are just going to rant at me I'm leaving.**

**<Xisuma> No. We need your expertise.**

**<Xisuma> Can you tune the infinity portal to take you to a certain place?**

**<Docm77> to a place, yes, but not from a place.**

**<Docm77> and I'd rather no one mess with it.**

**<Xisuma> what other choice do we have?**

Doc sighed and looked up at the sky. With his limited vision the stars were all but invisible, and the moon was just a pale blob. He was really beginning to miss the colour red.

**<Docm77> ok**

**<Xisuma> nice! can you take us through the process?**

The blackness deepened and the cold dug into his bones as he typed, and he wrapped his labcoat as tightly around himself as he could. The replies of Cub and X following his directions trickled in painfully slowly, and Doc soon realized that he had to get back to warm area quick.

**<Docm77> I really have to go for a moment**

**<Xisuma> we're so close though!**

**<Docm77> I am literally going to freeze man**

**<Docm77> I'll be back in a bit**

He quickly stuffed the beeping device away in his pocket and leapt off the cliff, fumbling a rocket out to propel himself towards the distant hot glow of a lava spout. The warmth was irresistibly inviting as he drew in closer, huddling into himself in an attempt to conserve the heat in his body. Times like this definitely reminded him being a mesotherm sucked.

Doc rubbed his hands together and held them out to the lava. The heat of it stung against the pad of his hand, but it was the preferred alternative to frostbite. After a good few minutes, the warmth had seeped it's way into his muscles, replacing the dull ache of the cold. That should buy him a few more minutes of talk with X. 

Back he flew, landing heavily at the top and sitting down.

** _Connecting to group chat _ ** **Far lands...**

** _Connected to group chat _ ** **Far lands.**

**<Docm77> Back**

**<Xisuma> welcome**

**<Docm77> please be quick. what do you need?**

**<Xisuma> Cub has managed to get the portal to link straight to a command block.**

**<Xisuma> this is your ticket back here.**

**<Docm77> great, can you give us one?**

**<Xisuma> the command cannot reach you. However, Flynn is in possession of a command block.**

**<Xisuma> get hold of that and we should be good to go.**

**<Docm77> oh great…**

**<Xisuma> best of luck!**

\--

A thump from outside alerted Mumbo to the return of his cyborg friend. He turned to the door with a smile, which then faltered when he saw the frost caking Doc's skin. Harpy instantly pulled him over to the fireplace and made him sit down, actions that he complied to without any objections. Over the next few minutes, Doc slowly came back to life as the warmth of the fire took effect, and he turned to give his signature grin to the other two.

"H-hey guys!"

"Sup popsicle. What did your X need?" Harpy asked while wrapping him in the blanket.

"He has a way t-to get us home." Doc replied.

"Ah?"

"But we gotta steal Flynn's command block." 

A tense silence set in the room.

"Is there… No other way?" Harpy whispered.

"No." 

"Well. Fuck." She sat down, looking slightly freaked out. "He protects that thing with everything he has."

"So we now need to plan to attack them back?" Mumbo asked.

"I guess." Doc replied while handing Mumbo's elytra back to him and snuggling into the blanket. He clenched his teeth together to stop them from chattering, only to realise they weren’t even doing so in the first place. He wasn’t shivering?

“Why am I not...?” Doc lifted his organic hand out of the blanket and stared at it. It was numb and cold, but steady.

“Not what?” Mumbo asked with concern.

“Not shivering.” He pulled the hand back into the blanket and shuffled closer to the fire.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No! I’m freezing!” Doc hissed through his teeth. “Means my head must be more damaged than I thought. And that’s... really scary.” The confused look he got from Mumbo prompted him to explain more.

“We can't regulate our body temperature like you can. When you guys get cold you shiver. We don't do that naturally. When I… Became like this-” He gestured to his metal face. “Eth- uh, I started experimenting with several things, one of those being wiring my brain into inducing shivering if my body temperature drops too low.”

“Oh? Neat. But if it’s broken, then I guess you don't shiver? That’s what you are worried about?” Mumbo sat down.

“Yes and no. It’s more the fact that a piece of technology that is wired directly to my _brain_ is heavily damaged enough to stop functioning correctly. If it malfunctions, who knows it could do. My Mainboard’s a ticking time bomb man!” the rate of Doc’s breathing had increased as he realised just how much danger he was really in. A hand on both of his shoulders grounded him back in reality.

“Relax, Flower. Also drink this.” Harpy practically thrust a steaming mug into his hands, which he took gratefully and proceeded to burn his mouth on. Mumbo squeezed his other shoulder and smiled.

“Do you want me to take a look at it?”

“No! I mean, very fragile… I mean… please don’t poke around with my brain.” Doc spluttered and blew on the drink to cool it down a bit.

“Understandable.” Mumbo replied before backing away a bit to give Doc some space.

“I am not looking forward to fighting those guys…” Harpy mumbled.

“Me neither… I guess it’s hard for you since they were your friends right?” Mumbo sympathised. Harpy shook her head.

“Not really... I mean, yes I know that and that would make it kind of difficult… but those… they’re not that great people. Most of the ones that stayed back are more those who were rejected by the society that they were raised in. I offered them a family and they readily accepted… These guys though… I think mostly Flynn recruited them.” She snorted. “I guess that says enough about them.”

“So when should we try this? Would it be wise to try and fix your issues before then, Doc?” Mumbo looked around the room as he spoke the question, then paused.

"Uhhhh Doc?"

The cyborg was nowhere to be seen.

"Did he seriously go out _ again _?"

\--

It was easy for a predator to detect the trail of his prey. The broken undergrowth, footprints in the frost, the scent. It was not long until he heard their voices too. They were not being secretive in the slightest. The area looked like it had been ravaged for resources, of which they had not made efficient use of. The tents and shabby shelters were haphazardly strewn about, loosely surrounding a campfire that was almost buried in it's own ash. The scene irked both the side of Doc that wanted to protect nature and his German one. 

His goal was simple: sneak in, grab the command block, get the hell out. But first he had to find the thing. He predicted that if it would be anywhere, it would be in the shelter that Flynn used. And from the descriptions and stories Harpy had shared over the past few days, the guy saw himself as a god or something, so his living quarters would definitely be the biggest. So that hut over there.

The scene between Doc and the hut caught his attention briefly. It looked like three hunters had taken an interest in redstone, with them gathered around a pile of components and dust that he figured would only extend a piston and knock a repeater out of place, thus breaking the whole thing. Oh well, gotta start somewhere, he supposed. If redstoning would direct them away from being assholes, he'd be all for it.

Slowly, Doc receded away from them deeper into the brush and set his plan in motion. His labcoat would be problematic, so that was removed and draped over a low branch. The cold instantly stabbed into his skin, but as predicted he did not reflexively react to it.

Another issue: glowing red lights were not the greatest form of camouflage either, along with reflective metal. He had a solution though; the hunter encampment was near a river, and their messy habits had churned the shore into mud, which he could use to disguise the lights. Slowly, he made his way over to the sound of the flowing water, and gasped when his toes sank into the freezing earth. He stepped back, listening around intently for any sign of being spotted, then relaxed when the sounds of the hunters did not change. There came the extension of a piston, a thud and a shocked cry, followed by some laughter. He snickered slightly, picturing the scene that had just occurred, then turned back to the task at hand.

Doc kneeled down at the edge of the mud and scooped out a thick handful, then began to smear it over spaulder that protected the critical joint in his shoulder as well as housing the power source. More was stuffed into the openings in the casing that let the light through, and soon the arm looked like it had been thoroughly drop kicked through a bog. He cringed as some grit that was caught in the servos grinded between the metal plates, sending worrying vibrations through the arm, then sat down and snapped open the hidden tool compartment to begin work on removing the eyepiece from his face. It came away easy enough, and he squinted down at it to examine just how exactly it was damaged. The casing was dented, and the dark lens had a crack running through it, indicating it was broken through blunt force. Makes sense as to why his Mainboard would be damaged too. 

Doc huffed and slipped the eyepiece into his pocket, then got to his feet to head back to the small thicket his labcoat was hidden in. The cold was once again sinking into his bones all too quickly, causing him to wrap the coat around his body in an attempt to preserve some warmth. He huddled down and curled into the tightest ball he could, preparing to wait out the worst of the nightly freeze. 

Since his body now had food in it to burn, he figured that it shouldn't be as bad as before. He sighed and closed his eye, listening to the sounds of nature around him.

The chilly breeze brushed over the trees above him, whistling slightly as it threaded through the branches. It punctuated over the low constant bubbling from the river, a pleasant sound to his ears. The hullabaloo from the camp had died down as the hunters went to bed, so with nothing better to do, he was free to let his mind wander wherever he chose. 

For some reason, this time he chose to think about himself, and who he was. He usually never did this, as it wasn't easy to come to terms with what he really was. Maybe the past few days and actions had brought it to the forefront of his mind, what with meeting other creepers that had apparent self awareness, Harpy's initial prejudice against him, and his behaviour once he was free of the constricting parasite and suddenly overcome with an overwhelming feeling of hunger. He rested his chin on his knees and exhaled, not wanting to continue down the mental rabbit hole but doing so anyway.

Sometimes he even wondered just what would make a person such as Xisuma accept him into their family. Doc had never missed the sideways glances, scared demeanors and whispered rumours behind his back from the others when he had first moved in. They were suspicious; why had their admin invited a mob to join them? At least Jevin looked somewhat cute for a monster. They began to die down though when Python joined; also a very monster like looking person but with a personality contrasting his appearance. 

He did not have that though: despite his best efforts, often times he really did have a mindset of an aggressive mob, and people definitely avoided him because of it. His fascination with the unknown would also be a factor, thinking back to his experiments with space-time that brought both Keralis back from the past, and Bdubs from whatever abyss he had vanished into last season. That was something good he did right? He does good things. He wants to be good, be seen as a good person. He tries to interact, but they get scared. Why do they get scared? He wouldn't hurt any of them?

He does enjoy time by himself… but it gets lonely.

Something landed on his head, startling him back to awareness. It shifted a bit then chirped.

"Oh! Hello!" The parrot tapped its beak on his metal brow, then flipped down to sit on his shoulder. Doc slowly stroked the soft feathers while he tried to make out the markings on the bird. It looked to be a beautiful deep cyan fading into lazuli blue in its wingtips, and it’s underside looked to be… green? No, it must be yellow. The same type of parrot he remembered taming a long while ago, that was replaced by a chubbier version after a certain unspoken of incident. It nibbled on his metal cheekbone slightly before moving down to the overlapping flexible plating that served as a cheek. Doc's smile quickly faltered when he realized the parrot's beak was slotted in between the plates, and how it was now tugging backwards, trying to pull it off.

'Hey! Hey. Hey. No. No! Bubi, no." Doc grabbed the parrot off of his shoulder, causing it to squawk indignantly and flap away. He watched it go with a sigh, then uncurled himself from the frosty hollow his body had made and shrugged his labcoat back off. The worst of the night's freeze had passed, so it was prime time to begin his hunter infiltration. 

The heat from the camp had prevented ice from forming on the trampled grass, helpful for him if he wanted to sneak in as silently as possible. He quickly shifted himself to be walking on his toes, then crept towards his target, staying in the shadows as much as possible. Around him, he could hear the snores and murmurs of the sleeping hunters, and he kept his ears trained on them for any sign of an awakening. 

He squinted at the large hut, trying to pick out where the door was with his blurry vision. Finally, he identified a seam and hooked his claws into the gap, slowly teasing the door open. It creaked slightly, making him freeze and cringe, but the occupant of the hut did not stir. The door shifted open inch by inch until the gap was just wide enough for him to slip through. The soft pads of his toes absorbed any sound they made as he crept towards the slumbering figure on the shabby bed. He should…

No, he wasn't here for that.

Doc looked around at the various shelves, then began to rummage through the chests and check in hidden places for the object he was here for. If he was an insane maniac, where would he hide a command block?

…Maybe not the right question to ask himself. 

Doc stifled a chuckle and started feeling around on the floorboards, and grinned when he found the trapdoor to a hidden compartment. Slowly, he pried it open, and his eye widened when he spotted the command block sitting in the hole. The buttons on the side flashed all different colours of the rainbow, or rather, he presumed it did, and the hum and beeps of the power contained within it echoed around the room. He gently plucked it out and tucked it under his arm, then closed the compartment and softly padded back towards the door. It was looking to be a smooth heist after all.

His communicator beeped loudly.

"Hrngh? Who's there?" The form on the bed shifted over, then froze at the sight of him.

_ Mumbo, I really hate you right now. _

Flynn charged towards Doc the moment he spotted the block under his arm, and Doc tore the door open to flee. Pandemonium broke out, with hunter after hunter appearing from their shelters to chase him. Doc ducked and weaved into the undergrowth, hoping his camouflage would serve to hide him. He grabbed his labcoat as he ran by, hastily wrapping the command block on it. His muscles were screaming at him for being worked so hard while cold, but he ignored the pain and burst his way through a wall of vines, only to find himself at the edge of the cliff. The drop into the abyss below made his vision swim, and he spun around as the hunters piled out of the forest behind him. Flynn emerged through the crowd with a murderous look on his face.

"I think you have something that doesn't belong to you…" he slurred with a growing grin. Doc glanced down at the bundle in his hands, then tossed it as hard as he could over his shoulder, sending it plummeting out of sight.

"No I don't." He swallowed nervously, but took a defensive stance. Flynn was staring at him in shock, which then turned to fury.

"You…really just did that, you piece of shit?" He growled, signalling his men to attack. “Fucking kill him!”

All of them charged forward, and Doc knew at that moment he was not escaping from this. He could only hope that Mumbo or Harpy found him before long. He didn't think he could deal with another deathloop again. So, he did what any non-sane person would do, and followed after the command block.

Would he even get stuck in a deathloop? When Mumbo died from his fall, he awoke and stayed conscious until he was healed. With a chill that may or may not be caused by the wind rushing past his head, Doc realized that he'd be conscious, aware and in a lot of pain wherever he landed. And would stay that way until he either was found by friends, by foe or simply starved. What would even happen then? Would he reawaken, yet again on the verge of starvation and then succumb once more? Would that be his fate? Somehow that seemed worse than whatever the hunters would have done to him. At least they would get tired and leave eventually.

So many thoughts flew through his mind that time itself seemed to slow down. He was already planning what to do if every bone in his body was broken by the fall. They would surely heal even a little bit before he became too weak to move, and there was a good chance he’d still be able to use his metal arm. If he could spot any long grass around where he landed, he could get some seeds from that and use those to feed himself while he healed. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it would work. He could get through this.

Then something wrapped itself around his body, and blue sparks flashed across his view.

"Huh? Wha-"

Everything went black.


	40. Relatable Relations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a God slayer and a God learn they aren't so different after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block is a biiiiitch. I'm slowly slogging my way through it though, so that's alright.

_Another him. Another... Hero? _

** _You._ **

_He jumped. The voice had spoken._

_You're back?_

** _Why are you still here. I do not need you_ ** _** anymore**._

_The Hero's heart sank. Notch was still angry at him._

_I'm sorry._

_He looked over to the other Hero. They were crouched over a plot of farmland, carefully harvesting wheat._

_Does this Hero have a name?_

** _There is no Hero._ **

_He blinked. This was not a Hero?_

** _The Player does not have a name._ **

_He felt sad, thinking of just how his own name made him feel happy, and how this new 'Player' never felt that._

_How about... Steve?_

_The suggestion was on a whim, he didn't know why he would say that._

** _Sure. Now leave._ **

_The Hero turned away from the Player, back out into the world. But he was lonely._

_Who are they? He asked to the Voice._

_Notch did not answer._

_The Hero turn back, wanting to learn more about the Player._

_Maybe perhaps become... Friends?_

_Friends... He had friends. He could see one friend, falling. They would never survive the fall._

_He couldn't... Lose..._

_He... Had to help-_

\--

Doc had no idea how to process what he'd just experienced. It felt like he was floating in the void for eternity, but yet also only for a split second. During the brief stretch of infinite time, he wondered, maybe he'd hit the ground and the respawn hadn't worked? Maybe it took a bit of time? Was this what permadeath is like?

Then they both crashed through a layer of ice, sinking deep into the freezing water.

Wait, _ both _?

Doc gasped for air, only to find liquid rushing in to fill his lung in its place. Crap. He kicked out and struggled, noting in alarm that the subzero temperature was very quickly sapping his ability to move. He had to think fast. 

Righting himself in the water, Doc swam towards the light filtering through the hole in the ice and broke the surface, clawing at the slick sheets for purchase. Kicking out as hard as he could, he propelled himself out of the water and collapsed, trying his best to draw in oxygen with his fluid-filled lung but failing. He looked to the side as another shape struggled out onto the ice, but his blurred vision made it impossible to tell what it was. His chest burnt as he tried once again to breathe, but the world around him was fading.

Typical. He’d planned for dying to falling damage, but not for drowning. Faintly, he felt something wrap around him and lift him off of the ice slightly. It was… warm?

Whatever it was suddenly squeezed him tightly around his stomach, and the water inside him shot out of his mouth and nose, jerking him back to consciousness.

“You awake?” A quiet voice asked. Doc coughed and spluttered, then gasped in a huge breath of air. Whoever it was that was with him rubbed his back slightly as he fought to regain control of his lung. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Doc was composed enough to see who it was. He squinted at the figure, and blinked when his eye met a pair of glowing white ones.

“Herobrine?” The person nodded slightly.

“What… How… I thought you were asleep? How are you here?” Herobrine shrugged.

“I think… I was dreaming. Something… felt wrong. I saw you falling, so I acted in my dream… It wasn’t a dream?” He scratched his chin slightly, then shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.

“I sure as hell hope it’s not a dream. Thanks for saving my skin there, man.” Doc grinned weakly. “Can we get out of the cold now?”

Herobrine turned to look around him, and Doc did the same, realizing with a sinking feeling that they were sitting on a floating piece of ice in the middle of a massive lake.

“Mind teleporting us again?” He muttered. Herobrine shook his head and slumped over slightly. With a sigh, Doc steeled himself, then slipped into the water.

The slow painful swim to the shore took forever, so it was a huge relief to finally haul himself out onto dry land, only to find that the air was somehow even colder. Doc looked back, expecting to see Herobrine right behind him, only to find that he was still sat out on the ice.

“Uhh… you coming?” He called to the shivering cryptid. Herobrine looked down at the water, then back at Doc with a slightly panicked expression.

“Please… don’t tell me you can’t swim.” A quick shake of his head told Doc the answer. With an exhausted sigh, he slunk his way over to a nearby tree and began to chop at it. A few minutes later, he was rowing his way across the lake towards a grateful looking Herobrine in a boat.

"You owe me one for this." Doc grumbled as Herobrine clambered in. The man was silent as he leant against his back and closed his eyes. Doc briefly turned around to further berate him for his choice of bed, but he was emitting a fair amount of warmth… whatever.

He paddled back to the shore, and the two spilled out of the boat and onto the frozen earth. Herobrine was the first to move a few minutes later, getting to his feet shakily to look around for some respite from the chilly night. He shook Doc gently, but by that point the cyborg had grown too cold to move. He didn't struggle when Herobrine lifted him off the ground and stumbled his way over to a small cave, only opening his eye once he was set down against the rock.

"Usse… fffire...?" Doc asked quietly. Herobrine looked down at his hand and attempted to summon some flame, but a brief spark died into a puff of smoke all too quickly. With that, he let himself flop over to be laying against Doc, then proceeded to wrap his arms around him in a loose hug. 

"Hey… whyoo…Geddoff…" Doc's protests quickly died down when he realised that Herobrine was just trying to keep him warm in any way he could. With a sigh, he wrapped his arm around him in turn, then closed his eye, letting his exhaustion drag him under the coziness of unconsciousness.

\--

Someone was shaking him. With a moan of protest, Doc cracked his eye open to fix a tired glare on whoever had awoken him from his slumber.

"Sun's out. Thought you'd want to move into it." Herobrine whispered to him. That did sound nice…

It was mere minutes until Doc was asleep again, this time sprawled across a sun warmed boulder basking in the light. Herobrine sat down against it, closing his own eyes again, but he was still too anxious to actually sleep. No matter where he turned he could feel eyes watching him, but was never able to tell where they were coming from, or if they were even real. It was draining him physically, mentally and emotionally, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to the void of sleep he was in before he had to intervene and save Doc from falling to his death.

Two teleports in a row, one taking a passenger along with him, so soon after he expended so much energy in bringing him back to life in the first place… 

If anything, Doc owed _ him _one for that. A new arm at the very least.

Ah yes. How quickly he was able to forget about his arm. Turns out pulling a large person through interdimensional space does a number on whatever body part is in contact with them. His left arm, already torn from the teeth of the giant phantom, was now shattered, with the flesh around it twisted and marked with purple scarring. It hurt like hell, and he didn't have the slightest clue as to how he would begin to treat it. At least when he had his entrails strewn around a dungeon he had some idea of what went where. 

Sighing, Herobrine looked back at the sleeping cyborg behind him, feeling a bit let down. He was hoping that Doc would help with his injury, but it seemed he was too tired to do so. It's okay. He can wait. It doesn't hurt too badly…

"You okay man?" The sudden voice shocked Herobrine back to awareness, and he lifted his head from the tight ball he had drawn himself into to meet Doc's eye. Something inside him snapped.

"No! It hurts! You just sleep away, I save you, I save you twice! You say I owe you despite this, it hurts, you do nothing, I just take it, it still hurts, not okay, I am NOT okay please HELP ME-"

Doc dropped down in front of Herobrine and placed his hands on his shoulders, thinking just a split second too late that such an action was a bad mistake. Sure enough, he scrambled away as Herobrine screamed in pain at the contact, covering himself just in case a fireball came his way.

When he remained unsinged, Doc peered back at his Cryptid Companion, and his heart sank when he saw the state he was in. It looked like he had tried to send a fireball out, but had run out of energy mid cast and was now hunched over on the ground.

"I'm sorry." Herobrine twitched slightly as Doc shuffled his way back over to him. "I didn't… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I… let me take a look at that arm." He softened his voice as much as he could so as to not freak Herobrine out any further. The stricken cryptid complied, laying down on his stomach and letting his arm flop out onto the ground. 

Doc took a gentle hold of it, flinching back when Herobrine whimpered but staying on task. He quickly saw just why he was so angry; there was no way that he'd be able to fully treat this injury out in the wilds of the far lands. 

"What the heck even happened here?" Doc asked.

"Strain. From teleporting with another creature. Too much energy. Couldn't be contained in flesh." Herobrine replied while flinching slightly.

"Ah, I see." The answer made Doc feel even more guilty than before. He'd done this himself to save him, and was suffering for it. Meanwhile Doc was just sleeping away and getting annoyed at having to do something as simple as ferry him in a boat.

"I… don't think I can do much of anything with this, man. Other than bind it to make sure you don't move it." Herobrine grunted quietly in response, a noise that Doc took as an 'okay'. He instinctively reached down to grab the hem of his labcoat, only to remember he wasn't wearing it. Crap, now what? His jeans were already tattered enough, and he did want to preserve some shred of decency.

He looked around to see what was available, and spotted some spiders staring down at him. There was one option. A look to the side revealed the tree he had chopped down, with some vines hanging off the floating leaves. Doc quickly jogged over and collected them before they decayed, then went back to Herobrine and set them down beside him. 

"You alright for me to use your shirt to bind your arm? Or would you rather keep it on?" He asked.

"If… No other options…" Herobrine replied, slipping the shirt off with a pained squeak. Doc constructed some sticks from leftover planks, then sat down and got to work, wrapping the arm tightly together with the vines and a couple of the sticks to hold it in place. A few minutes later, the arm was sufficiently splinted, and the shirt was being tied into a makeshift sling. 

"After this, try to get some more sleep man. You look exhausted." Doc suggested, unable to stop himself from giving Herobrine a headpat. 

"Th… Thanks." Herobrine smiled weakly at him, then shuffled his way back into the hollow they'd spent the night in and lay down. Doc watched him go, then sat back down in the boulder to stare into the sky above. He should tell Mumbo and Harpy where they were. The sooner they got out of this place the better.

**<Docm77> hey. **

**<MumboJumbo> I'm not even going to bother.**

**<Docm77> good**

**<Docm77> I'll just ignore it lol**

**<MumboJumbo> herobrines gone btw.**

**<Docm77> I know. he's with me**

**<MumboJumbo> ?**

**<Docm77> he teleported me out of a sticky situation. **

**<MumboJumbo> oh**

**<Docm77> want me to send you my coords?**

**<MumboJumbo> sure.**

Doc opened the coordinates and sighed at the overflowing digits. It was bad enough trying to squint at the screen to read the text, now he had to decipher text that is overlapping with itself.

**<Docm77> it may take a few minutes.**

It took nearly half an hour. After figuring out how to set the text to display bigger on the screen, and squinting at so many blurry numbers that his brain hurt, Doc finally wrote out what he was sure were the correct coordinates and pocketed the device. He was so sick of being flat out unable to see anything; they really needed to get home. Which meant he had to find the command block he’d chucked away.

With a tired groan, Doc got to his feet and started to wander around the area, half looking for any mystery pale blobs and half lost in his own thoughts. After a while, he found himself leaning against a tree, scratching what he identified as circuit diagrams in the dirt with the claws of his foot. A snap of a twig made him look around, and he spotted Herobrine a few meters away, hiding in a bush watching him.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" 

"Watched…" The man whispered. The cryptic answer sent a shiver down Doc's spine.

"Watched? What do you mean?" He asked.

"I feel… Someone watching me… All the time…" Herobrine crept out of the bush and made his way over to Doc, leaning against the tree and then sliding down to the ground. Doc frowned and strained his ears out to listen for anything that might give away a hidden spectator, but heard nothing but the sounds of nature. 

"There's no one here." Doc told him.

"I know." Herobrine replied. "I still feel like I'm being watched." 

Doc sat down beside him.

"So you're just paranoid? Yeah… I see why. With the life you've had, I'd be paranoid too." Doc smiled at him. Herobrine blinked, then looked away while blushing slightly.

"That doesn't happen often…" he mumbled.

"What doesn't?"

"Someone… seeing what I see… feeling what I feel…" Herobrine shrugged. "It's nice when it happens."

Doc frowned.

"Man… That's just basic empathy? Anyone can see that you've had it rough." He shuffled over and draped his metal arm over Herobrine's shoulders, making sure to not jostle his injured limb. "And… I get what you're trying to say, you know. They're often afraid of you, see you as a monster that hasn't got the thoughts and feelings of a person, and that leads to them never stopping to consider how you feel."

" I…… yes." Herobrine looked down awkwardly. "How did… you…?"

"Because… I know how that is too." Doc admitted after a short pause. "Being seen as a monster. People thinking I had no thoughts… Or feelings… it… It still happens sometimes. And yeah… It hurts, man, it really hurts." He sighed, then continued.

"When Keralis talked to me in the barn after you ran away, he said something that… really made me realise… we're very much alike in that regard. Something about… 'are you just thinking that because of preconceived beliefs'. I suddenly figured I was believing things about you based solely on how you looked, and the stories I heard, but never giving you a chance, you know? And, well… that's what people did with me. They look, they see a creeper, they think 'oh no he's going to destroy me'. The difference is though… I acted on my thoughts. And I guess many others have too." Doc met Herobrine's eyes and gave him a sad smile. "For that, I'm sorry man. For real."

All of a sudden, an arm was wrapped tightly around his shoulders. He blinked down at the head resting on his chest, then returned the hug awkwardly.

"Thank you…" Herobrine whispered. 

"No need, man. Please don't think of basic kindness as a privilege." Doc ruffled his hair a bit, then let go. "Okay. So we gotta find my labcoat now. Want to join?" 

Herobrine sat back and tilted his head a bit.

"Huh?"

"Well, first of all I feel naked without it. Secondly it currently contains our ticket home. If those hunters get hold of it before me, it's very likely we'll never be getting out of here." Doc explained to him. He nodded in understanding and got to his feet, then offered his hand to Doc. With a grin, Doc took it, and then strangely enough, shook it as if they were coming to an agreement on something.

"Also, I promise you, I will not let you get hurt any more. Alright?" With a surprised blink, Herobrine nodded slowly and smiled. 

"Okay. Let's go find our way home."

\--

The sun had dipped behind the tall cliffs when the two of them sat down to rest. They had been searching non stop, and so far found nothing. Herobrine looked to be on the verge of passing out, and Doc's stomach was grumbling from the exertion. They both laid down and stared at the blue void above them, waiting to regain some energy so they could go on.

"So… where next? Are we going into there?" Herobrine asked while pointing to a steep valley cut into the landscape by a river.

"Yeah." Doc replied. "Didn't want to, there's a lot of spiders in there." He cast his eyes around to try and find something edible, then got to his feet and went over to start tearing the leaves off of trees for some apples. Herobrine on the other hand closed his eyes, as if he was trying to sleep, but by that point, it was almost as if he was _ too _ tired to do so.

He sighed and rolled over onto his right side, peering down at the grass right under his face and watching a tiny bug clamber its way over the individual blades. With a small smile, he puffed a bit of air on it, and watched as it stopped to cling tightly to the blade as its miniscule silvery wings got buffeted in what must have been a gale force winds to something of that size. For a moment after the storm had died down it stayed frozen, then it began on its merry way again, blissfully unaware of the being of immense power observing it's every move.

"Hey man, want an apple?" The voice startled Herobrine out of his trance, and he looked over at Doc. Thinking it over, he shook his head. It had only been a few days since his last meal, he didn't need to eat yet.

"You have it."

"You sure man?" Doc asked, looking concerned.

"Yes.You have it." Herobrine quickly silenced Doc's protests with a look, then staggered to his feet to begin pacing around the area. Soon, Doc had joined him, and with a quiet look at each other, the two of them set off towards the heavily webbed ravine.

Problems soon arose when they realised they had no way to cut through the thick silk. Herobrine attempted to burn the webs out of the way, but still seemed too worn out to use his fire powers. Doc set about making stone swords to use, but they were very quickly being chipped away by the repeated punishment. And that wasn't to mention the copious amount of spiders that were lurking in every nook and cranny.

They'd already had to dispatch a few that got too reckless, so the rest seemed to be staying back for now, watching and waiting. The sensation of hundreds of eyes trained on him made Doc shiver, and he quickly wondered if this was what Herobrine was feeling all of the time. No wonder he was paranoid. 

The stone blade of his sword snapped off the wooden handle, and Doc threw the weapon away with a curse. He had no more wood to create any tools with, so when Herobrine's sword broke they would be unable to continue.

"Maybe we should go back and wait for the others." Doc suggested. Herobrine paused and turned around, his face one of blank fatigue. 

"I feel it though…" He mumbled. Doc raised an eyebrow.

"Feel it? What are you feeling?"

"Something… that shouldn't exist. Wrong. It's that way." He pointed into a thicket of webs, then flinched when he saw what was in their way.

"How damaged is your sword?" Doc asked him. He inspected the blade closely, looking at what wear and tear it had been subjected to.

"Not very" He replied finally.

"Good, want to lead the way?" 

With a nervous swallow, Herobrine stepped forward, slicing through the webs as he drew closer to the source of the odd power. Doc spied a bundle ahead of them and grinned at the familiar fabric.

"There it is!" He ran past Herobrine, stumbling over a web and stopping to pull the wrapped command block down from the sticky net it was suspended in. When the wood and buttons were revealed to the world, he turned back to Herobrine with an excited expression.

"We're going home, man!"

Alarm bells went off in Herobrine's mind, and he turned to look for the source amongst the thick spiderwebs.

The whistle of something flying through the air caught both of their attention, and Doc suddenly went down while clutching at his face. Herobrine spun back around and dropped to his knees at his side, gasping at the sight of the shaft of an arrow sticking out of Doc's metal eye socket. Every muscle in the cyborg's body had gone tense as he keeled over into a hunched pile on the ground while he tried in vain to pull the arrow out.

Herobrine quickly gripped it and tugged back, freeing it with the twist of metal and a couple of red sparks. However, Doc remained immobilised, and the sudden all too familiar presence of hunters had already surrounded them. He cast his eyes around fearfully, then forced himself to turn back to his friend.

"Doc? C-can you move?"

Doc answered with a quiet strained noise, and managed to force out the word "Mainboard." Herobrine blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Mainboard… broke… get… out…" 

He understood. Ignoring the advancing danger behind him, Herobrine dug his thumb into a gap between the metal plates and pulled back, ripping the cover off and exposing the workings beneath. Then he gripped the battered circuit board and tugged, freeing it from the framework. However the Redstone cables pulled taut, but did not let go. Panic began to build within him as he fumbled to try and disconnect the mainboard.

Then a splitting pain shot through him, with a blue blade appearing in his vision. The shock jerked his arm back, snapping the cables free and making Doc cry out in pain. However, his body relaxed and he went limp with a relieved sigh. Herobrine did not notice however; his vision was clouding as the shock wore off and the agony of having the blade of a sword lodged through his body set in.

His hand released the broken chunk of metal it was holding, and it thunked to the ground, catching Doc's attention. He squinted at Herobrine, and then his eye went wide.

"No…. NO!" 

Herobrine simply sighed and closed his eyes. The hunter behind him giggled and stepped away.

"I…" Doc struggled closer to Herobrine, knowing that there was no way to help him. A crushing feeling of despair washed over him when he realised that he'd already broken his promise. 

"Herobrine?" 

"I…" 

Doc swallowed and closed his eye.

"I'm sorry ma-"

"I am getting really tired of being stabbed in the back." Herobrine reached behind him and gripped the handle of the sword, then pulled it out, splattering blood all over the ground. He rose to his feet and turned around to face the enemy, his eyes glowing fiercely. The loose semicircle of hunters retreated slightly, obviously not expecting such a reaction. Then they looked between one another, as if telepathically deciding on their next move, and drew their weapons.

"Doc?"

"Yes, man?"

"Run."


	41. Final struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they finally get rid of the problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait, writers block is kicking my ass. This chapter still feels very janky to me in pacing, but I have to get something out for you guys.

"Run? What are you talking about, I'm not going to leave you to these assholes!" Doc struggled to stand, and flopped back over onto the floor. _ Plus I can't run _ he added mentally, not wanting to admit weakness in front of the enemy. 

Herobrine did not answer him, instead holding the sword out and swinging it at the closest hunter, who blocked it easily. It was plain as day that he had little experience with the weapon, as the swipe was clumsy and uncoordinated; a matter not helped by his dominant hand being out of commission. Doc cringed at every slice and blow that dug into Herobrine's unarmoured flesh, and tried once again to get to his feet. His legs shook under his weight and nearly went limp, but he forced them to stay strong through sheer willpower alone. 

By that point, Herobrine was looking more like a vaguely human-shaped lump of bleeding flesh than a living person, and was hardly able to stand. The hunters attacking him had suffered a few wounds, but it was clear who had the upper hand in the desperate battle. Finally, he keeled over and crumpled heavily to the ground, too injured to fight any longer. Doc instantly threw himself over Herobrine protectively and hissed at the advancing hunters. They flinched back slightly at the sound, but were quick to understand that it was merely a farce. He attempted to swipe out at them with the sharp claws of his metal arm, but with his Mainboard gone, it was slow and barely responsive. He was but a meat shield they had no problem breaking.

They were fucked.

"Doc?" Came a quiet pained voice from underneath him. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault man… I'm sorry too."

"Not your fault though… either" Herobrine rebutted. Doc exhaled through a grin.

"I guess it's neither of our fault these guys suck." He saw a foot come swinging for their faces in his peripheral vision and snapped out at it, sinking his teeth deep into the hunter's ankle. They cried out and jerked back, tearing it free with a spray of blood, then returned with a sword instead. With a sigh, Doc lowered his head and closed his eye. What a shitty way for it all to end.

"Y'all motherfuckers better not Have HURT M**Y FLOWERS!**"

The rush of fireworks, wings and the thwack of a body slamming into several others with a great deal of force made Doc open his eye again in confusion. Wait was that-?

"Argh? Harpy? Hi sweeti- ARGHGHK"

Pure panic broke out at the hunters quickly caught on that their former teammate was in fact _ not _here to help them. A few attempted to fight back, but their efforts were futile in the face of the rage of a mother (No matter how unwilling her… 'children' were to call her such a name.) Soon enough, she was standing and staring at the backs of the hunters as they fled.

"Mumbo, come down now." She called out. The flump of someone landing heavily sounded from behind Doc, causing him to look around and smile in relief at the sight of the lanky hermit. He shakily rolled to the side off of Herobrine, laying back spread-eagle on the floor.

"Hey Mumbo-"

"I'm on the verge of slapping you right now, dude." Mumbo cut his greeting off.

"Do it, coward." Doc dared him with a sly grin. The redstoner sighed and kneeled down, gently turning Herobrine over onto his back.

"Harpy do you have that stew?" He called out. Harpy was instantly at their side, holding out a wooden bowl. Herobrine flickered his eyes open, confused at the mention of stew.

"Mm not hungry… give to Doc…" He murmured.

"It's not for food, you altruistic idiot." Harpy growled before forcing the bowl to his lips. He let out a noise of protest, but accepted and swallowed. His wounds began to close, and the pained expression on his face softened slightly as the suspicious stew took effect.

"It was daisies. Good to know." She muttered. Meanwhile Mumbo was checking Doc over, relieved to find the cyborg to be relatively uninjured, just rather dazed. 

"What happened to your face?" He asked, pointing to the twisted hole where Doc's eye once was.

"Those hunters got me right in the Mainboard… it nearly killed me, man! Herobrine had to tear it out so I could move again. This means my arm is now useless though… there's no way we'll be repairing this thing out here. Or even at home." He pointed to the metal scrap that once controlled the entire exchange of information between his brain and his inorganic parts. Mumbo grabbed it and examined it, fiddling with the thin redstone cables as he did so.

Doc in the meantime was slowly recovering himself from the sudden change in his perception of reality. He wriggled his toes a bit, then lifted himself off the ground, swaying slightly but staying somewhat steady. His hand fell on a hard cloth-covered object, and he gasped in surprised delight.

"I still have it? I got the command block!" He held the bundle aloft triumphantly, and shook it out of his labcoat so he could adorn the signature garment again. The block bounced off the floor and came to rest at Mumbo's feet, and he bent over to grab it. The thing sparked slightly with a dark green energy, making him shudder.

"Well, at least we have it now. So we can get home finally." He stated while turning it over in his hands. Then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he turned away to inspect it. 

Doc on the other hand made his way over to Harpy and Herobrine, the former of whom was still fussing over the latter's wounds.

"Let me take a look at that hand please." Harpy ordered him. Herobrine looked down at his hand that was still curled around the hunter sword. He swallowed then offered it to Harpy, who grabbed it off of him wordlessly and flashed him a questioning look.

"Not what I meant but…" She sheathed the weapon and took hold of Herobrine's hand to inspect it for damage.

"Your other arm okay?" Herobrine looked down at the splinted limb. The stew Harpy had forced into him was taking effect on it, allowing him to move the arm again. In response he tugged the now extremely tattered shirt sling off and shook it out, scowling at the tears before pulling it back over his head.

"Guys?" All three turned to Mumbo, who was glancing around nervously.

"What's wrong?" Doc asked.

"I hear something. Something coming." 

They all froze and listened out, quickly hearing a faint scratching and tapping that was getting louder. Mumbo looked around for the source of the noise, and gulped at the line of spiders scuttling down towards them.

"Guys? Slight issue…" He calls out. Harpy gritted her teeth at the sight.

"Doc? Mumbo? Get Herobrine out of here. I'll be right behind you." She ordered while pulling out and raising the sword to bring it down on the closest arachnid. The others wasted no time in complying; they started picking their way through the trail Herobrine and Doc had cut away as quickly as possible.

True to her word, Harpy stayed close behind, swiping at every spider that came their way. Soon, the four of them spilled out of the ravine, with Harpy kicking one last spider off of her leg. She turned around to see the other three frozen, and went stiff herself when she saw the reason.

“You.”

Flynn’s voice cut sharply into her, and she shuddered involuntarily.

"Yep. Me." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Who would have thought I couldn't even trust my own bitch?" Flynn spat at her venomously. Harpy scowled at him.

"Just like you to resort to name calling. Here's the thing though: between us, you were always the bitch. You just now have another target to project that onto." Her scowl morphed into a grin. "Unfortunately, I'm not an easy target." 

She raised her sword and pointed it at him. The presence of the rest of the troops rushing in quickly caught her attention, and she raised her arm in the gesture of 'halt'. As expected, they stopped.

"This is between me and Flynn. Stay out of it." The hunters slunk away while Flynn glared at her angrily.

"Still ordering my men around? Not learnt your lesson?" He snarled.

"Just making sure there are no more casualties than are needed." Harpy replied smoothly. "Come on then."

With that final invite, Flynn charged, and Harpy raised her sword, ready for the battle.

\--

Herobrine was watching the stand off when a feeling of dread washed over him. He gripped onto Mumbo's arm tightly, causing the redstoner to flinch in surprise.

"Anything the matter?" Mumbo asked. He looked down at his friend then gulped when he caught sight of hunters bearing down on them.

"Ah. Of course" 

He turned back around to see Herobrine fleeing, and decided in a split second to follow his lead. He stopped with him at the narrow entrance to a cave and looked around to see Doc just behind them.

"What are you stopping for? Get in!" The cyborg shouted.

The three of them piled into the cave, and the light vanished as Doc stuffed some cobble into the entrance. They huddled together by the wall, listening to the scratches of the hunters thirsting for their blood trying to break in. Herobrine whimpered,and Mumbo wrapped his arms around him.

"It's okay… it's okay. We're fine." He whispered softly, both to Herobrine and himself. He cast his gaze around the cave, and locked it with a glowing green pair of lights. His head instantly filled with static, and he shuddered and squeezed his own eyes shut.

"Don't look." Doc hissed while shuffling closer to the other two. Ignoring his advice, Herobrine peered out of the protective bundle, and met the gaze of an enderman staring down at him. However, instead of purple sparks drifting lazily around the creature, black smoky particles lifted off of its midnight skin, and the eyes shone a deep green not dissimilar from a phantom. Not an Enderman.

A _ Farlander_. 

The static still clouded his mind, but Herobrine dared not to tear his gaze away, knowing that if he broke eye contact, the creatures would attack. It bent down until they were barely inches apart, goading him into looking elsewhere. He gulped, feeling his eyes begin to dry out. The green glow seemed to intensify as time went on, and Herobrine could faintly hear the shouts of his friends piercing through the static. There was nothing but green. It filled his vision, an expanding void of green. A field, in which he could place and break. A voice, telling him he should never exist.

It was gone.

Herobrine released a breath he didn't know he was holding and went limp, flopping into a pair of arms. They closed around him tightly, one hand straying to his head to play with his hair. Slowly but surely his heart rate slowed as he relaxed into the hug.

"Holy shit dude? Did you just win a staring contest with an enderman?" Mumbo asked, his eyes wide. Herobrine did not have the energy to answer, instead relishing in the feeling of his hair being stroked. He closed his eyes to let the rest of the tension drain away, then opened them again to see the green glow still staring down at him. It was regarding him with curiosity, and a little bit of admiration.

_ Who are you? _ The Farlander whispered to him. Herobrine shrugged, still wary.

"Someone." He replied weakly.

_ A strange someone. Most cannot withstand our study. _ It noted.

"Study?" Herobrine asked.

_ The smaller ones are fascinating to us. They fear looking our way. Why is this? _

"Because your purple eyed cousins go mad and try to kill you if you look at them." He explained. Mumbo and Doc were watching him in confusion.

"Are you talking to that enderman?" Doc asked him.

"Farlander. And ja." He turned back to the Farlander.

_ The ones trying to get in. Are they after you? _It questioned.

"Yep. Please help?" 

_ Would be happy to. _

And not a moment too soon.

The wall finally crumbled down under the attacks of the hunters, and they spilled in, hollering and shouting in their bloodthirsty excitement. The racket ceased however as soon as they came face to face with the inhabitants of the cave. The leader of the bunch went pale at the wide maw of the Farlander in front of him came into view. More of the creatures peeled away from the darkness, surrounding the attacking gaggle in a wall of limbs, claws and teeth. 

"What the fuck is thAAAAARGH" several of them swung out wildly, hoping to slash a Farlander, but skillful dodging and teleporting kept the creatures out of reach of the blades. The fearful stumbling, however, did not keep the hunters out of reach of the Farlanders. One of them took one last swipe at a fleeing hunter, then vwooped in pain as it's black skin got caught in a ray of sunshine. The rest of them retreated from the light, and several turned around to look at the three men huddled together in the corner.

_ They're gone. _ One of the Farlanders told Herobrine. He nodded gratefully in response.

"Thank you!"

\--

The clash of diamond on diamond rang sharply through the air as Harpy blocked blow after blow from Flynn, whilst also returning calculated swipes herself. She was well aware of the rock wall behind her, and was letting Flynn push her back against it. According to her knowledge, Flynn was the type of person to brag to a cornered enemy, so she was counting on that and the shots she'd taken for her plan to work. It was risky, but lord oh lord would it be _ worth it _.

The cold stone pressed against her back, signalling she could go no further. She fixed a glare on Flynn, and like she'd predicted, he lowered his sword and gave her a sickening grin. Behind him, the rest of the hunters were picking their way over, slowly falling in line to wall Harpy in. She grimaced at the slight wrench in her plan, but figured it shouldn't have too much of an effect. Despite the numbers, she could fight all of them off if she had to. 

"Go then, go wild!" Flynn shouted to his troops. Seems she might have to after all.

The looks of wild delight and anticipation on the faces of all of them made Harpy want to vomit there and then. Fuck it, do it now.

She hadn't 'missed every swing' like Flynn had said, no. Her strikes were calculated, each one dealt with intention. Her true target? The clasps and straps holding together Flynn's otherwise 'unbreakable' armour. With all his confident gloating, Flynn hadn't noticed the protective plating coming loose, which was perfect. She had but a split second to execute the maneuver though, and there was no time to waste.

Before the rest of the hunters had begun to move in, she launched herself forward with her sword arm drawn back, and the other one stretched forward. Her free hand clasped closed around the edge of Flynn's chest plate, and she yanked it open, exposing the vulnerable body underneath. Then, her arm holding the sword shot forward, propelling the blade deep into Flynn's chest. It burst from the other side with a crack of bone and tearing flesh, knocking the entire chest plate off onto the floor. Harpy kept the momentum going, thrusting forward and sinking the sword into the ground, pinning Flynn to his deathbed. When the hilt had reached the fabric of his shirt, she let go and stepped back.

Around her, the gathered hunters were silent, many of them slinking backwards should Harpy decide to do the same to them. Harpy sighed, then caught sight of a familiar moustache peering out from a nearby cave. She turned to face Mumbo, but a sudden maniacal chuckle caught her off guard. It was Flynn, one hand clutched around the handle of the sword, and the other placed on his forehead as his entire body convulsed with increasing laughter. Harpy raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"Ohhh nothing. You think you can get rid of meeee?" Flynn rasped out. 

"What?" Her eyes flicked around, confused at what he meant.

"You'll see." And with that, his spasms stopped, and the body disintegrated into dust. A clamour of confusion broke out, and the hunters quickly retreated out of Harpy's reach. With the path to her clear, Mumbo, Herobrine and Doc made their way over to her, the former two looking around nervously at the hunters.

"They'll stay away, don't worry." Harpy told them. Mumbo and Herobrine relaxed slightly, while Doc was scowling at the sword stuck in the ground.

"He was in survival mode himself…" He growled. "But… Wait, why does he get to respawn like that?"

"Uhhh maybe his respawn point is out of this world? Who knows. He's gone. That's good." Mumbo smiled. "Finally."

"So boys… when are we getting home?" Harpy asked suddenly. Mumbo and Herobrine looked at one another at her sudden change of subject.

"This evening. It would be best to coordinate with Sizuma." Doc announced before either of them could speak. "I can go grab our stuff from the base. Elytra, please?" Mumbo quickly handed Doc the required equipment, and the cyborg took off into the sky, speeding away back to base.

"H-Harpy?" A quiet voice asked from behind them. Harpy turned around to see the group of hunters gathered together in a sorry looking bundle.

"What." She growled.

"What about us?" One of them asked.

"What about you?"

"You can't just… leave us here." 

_ Oh I definitely can... _

They didn't deserve anything from her… But…

She sighed and looked down at the command block that Mumbo was still clutching, then took it from his hands, crouched and placed it on the floor. A few moments of tapping in a familiar ritual later, a portal had opened in the air above it.

"Go. It's linked to that town Flynn always sends you guys to. Don't show your face to me again." She stepped back as the hunters filed into the portal one by one. Forrest paused for a moment, then turned and blew a kiss at her.

"I'll catch you later sweetie~"

At that, Harpy tore off her helmet and launched it at him. The cracked piece of armour smacked off his face with a painful sounding clang, sending him stumbling through the portal, which she promptly closed.

"Fucking creep…" Mumbo heard her mutter as she stalked away to the nearby rock wall and sat down heavily. He considered joining her for a second, then decided to recollect the command block and go to Herobrine instead, who was still looking scared out of his wits. When did he _ not _ look like that?

The two were having a hushed conversation when a heavy thud signalled the return of Doc.

"Where's Harpy?" He asked. Mumbo quickly pointed to where she was sitting, scrunched into a loose ball in the shadow of the cliff. Doc frowned, and he went over to sit down beside her.

"You alright?"

"No." Harpy sighed. Mumbo and Herobrine joined them, and Herobrine draped his arm across her shoulders with a slight wince of pain. She was silent for a while, then drew in a deep shuddering breath.

"I don't get it… After what he did back at your home… I hated Flynn's guts. Why… why do I…" She sniffed as a tear rolled down her face. "Why do I regret it? Why do I… _ miss _ him?"

"Well you two were friends for the longest time, and his reasoning for what he did what he did resonated with you strongly. At least until you learnt it was a lie." Mumbo tried to reason.

"But it was a lie!" She buried her face in her knees. "He did what I hated the most. Yet I don't… I do hate him, but I… what is wrong with me?"

"You're grieving. That's totally normal man. And before the split you two must have been close, and I guess… even afterwards. Don't feel bad about feeling bad." Doc opened his working arm out, inviting Harpy in for a hug. To his surprise, she sunk into his embrace, pulling Herobrine with her. With the three of them locked together, Mumbo was sitting, looking awkwardly left out.

"Come on Mumbo, join in." Doc told him. With a roll of his eyes, Mumbo shuffled over and wrapped his arms around the entire bundle, resting his head on Herobrine's shoulder. The four of them stayed like that as the shadow of the cliff extended out in front of them. It was there that Herobrine finally felt safe enough to fall asleep, cocooned in a bundle of his friends. Mumbo was first to notice, and he quickly pointed it out to Harpy and Doc in hopes to lighten the mood. However, Harpy just sighed and lowered her chin back onto her knees.

"I just don't understand it…" She mumbled miserably. Doc thought for a moment, then seemed to decide on something before speaking again.

"Here's a thing, man. I don't like creepers, yet if I ever catch one in the eye while I kill it… I still feel kinda bad. I have no idea why, considering all I've done to distance myself from them." Doc shrugged. Harpy sighed and turned her head to look at Herobrine, then smiled and began to run her fingers through his hair.

"Thanks guys…" She whispered softly.

"No worries Harpy." Mumbo replied with a smile. "We hate seeing people sad."

"It's Maia by the way… Harpy is just a nickname. Although I guess these days I respond to Harpy more often." She chuckled.

"Oh?" Came the only reply. And then they were silent, taking in the peace that had surrounded them, as well as letting their exhausted friend rest.

A while later, the ambient light had shifted to a warmer tone, signalling the setting of the sun. Doc was the first to move, untangling himself from the other and stretching himself out with a grunt.

"Come on. Sunset, it should be good to go soon." Harpy bounced her shoulder, and Herobrine opened his eyes with a quiet mumble.

"We only have two elytra though?" Mumbo pointed out.

"Tag team it. Two of us go, one of us comes back down with both elytra, repeat." Doc turned to the rest of them as they got themselves out of the hug pile. "Who wants to be the elytra ferry?"

"I can do it." Herobrine offered shyly. Doc blinked in surprise.

"Ah? Alright. Who else wants to go first?" The other two looked at one another.

"I'm taking that as a me." He snorted. "Okay, elytra for Herobrine, guys?" Harpy shrugged off her wings and handed them to the man, along with her rockets. With the gear equipped on him, he turned to Doc with a smile.

"Hey do you know how to f-" Doc began to ask, except where Herobrine was once standing now held only the gently drifting trail of a firework.

"Oh okay." With one final nod to those behind him, Doc took a running start, leapt as far as he could into the air and let loose a flurry of rockets, propelling himself into the sky.

They were finally going home.


	42. In which...

Xisuma looked down at his communicator, worried yet also hopeful. He'd given the commands that had to be entered in clearly, and prayed that the lost hermits could understand him. His eyes locked into the swirling portal, holding his breath and waiting for something to happen.

The purple in the diamond frame shimmered, and suddenly a figure covered with cracked armour and sporting a heavy curtain of crimson hair dropped out onto the grass. They groaned and rolled over, and Diana gasped and recoiled from them. 

"Harpy???"

"Ungh, ugh… always hated portals… hey, Diana… wait, DIANA!?" Harpy staggered to her feet and launched herself at Diana, who cried out in alarm and tried to haul herself out of the way. Xisuma ran over to pull Harpy off, but stopped when he saw that she wasn’t attacking; instead, her arms were clasped tightly around Diana, who was frozen in shock with an expression of pure fear and confusion.

“Uh…” She uttered.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see a person alive…” Harpy mumbled.

"Wait, uhm, okay, uh, alright, sure, yes." Diana stuttered in bewilderment before awkwardly returning the hug. "Most of me is alive anyway."

"What?"

With a shrug, X turned away from the scene as Diana began to fill Harpy in on the details she'd missed, and he looked back to see Mumbo standing there, looking as concerned as always.

"Mumbo! My friend!" He exclaimed in delight. The announcement of his name quickly brought the other two architechs running in, both of them quickly swamping Mumbo in a hug. 

"Haha, hey guys, miss me?" He chuckled. Grian nodded tearfully while Iskall backed away to take in Mumbo's appearance. Mumbo was in the meantime trying to peel Grian off of him.

"Come on Grian, I got things I need to do… redstone projects..."

"No Mumbo, You look terrible. What you need to do is take a shower and have a good night's sleep. You got that?" Iskall ordered him while grabbing his arm. "And maybe a few meals as well wouldn't hurt. You feel like a skeleton, Mumbo. You must be famished!" 

"But I…" Mumbo began to protest as Iskall and Grian led him away. "I… alright, yes."

Xisuma smiled at the receding backs of the three hermits, relieved that they would take care of Mumbo and make sure he recovered. The struggle to survive in the farlands seemed to have taken a lot out of all of them, and the one he was most worried about hadn't even appeared yet. 

"Hey Sizuma." Ah, there he was. Xisuma turned to the source of the voice, and his heart immediately dropped when he saw the sheer state Doc was in. If Mumbo was looking bad, Doc looked practically dead on his feet. His chest was wrapped in several filthy bandages, some new infected looking gashes were littered over his body, the clothes he wore were bloodstained and hanging off his worryingly thin frame, and the cybernetic half of his face was torn and twisted, with the inner workings missing.

Yet he was grinning wildly, and his eye still held a strong spark of life. For a moment a flash of disappointment was visible in it as he peered around to see who was present, but that was quickly quashed as he focused on X. With a sudden rush of guilt, X realised he was looking to see if anyone else was there to welcome him home, like there was for Mumbo. He swallowed and smiled back at Doc, hoping it reached his eyes.

"Doc! So glad you're… uh, okay!" 

"Me too, man. Me too. You should see Herobrine if you think I look bad." Doc turned back to the portal and stood there expectantly, then frowned after a minute had passed.

"Uh… Herobrine…?"

\--

The wind whistling past his ears was almost drowned out by the ringing despair he felt. Why must things never be so simple?

Herobrine had volunteered to hold the command block after the energy around it had singed Mumbo's fingers. They had followed the instructions Xisuma sent them, and the portal had opened with no issues. Mumbo had stepped back to let Harpy through with an exclamation of "Ladies first." and then followed shortly after. Then Doc disappeared into the vortex, and it was his turn. He had stepped forward, taken a deep breath, and-

Herobrine slammed into a rock, tearing him out of his thoughts, and he cried out in pain and shock as he felt half of the bones in his body shatter at the impact. He skidded down a steep slope, then dropped once again before landing heavily, far below the surface. For a moment, he lay motionless, hardly able to breathe. Then he tugged his communicator out of his pocket and painfully typed a message.

**<!-̠̤̮̜̫I͕̤͕͡€̢̯̮̻̯®̲°͇̪͚̻̳̥͞&͉̳͖̫͙͘r͚͉|̶̳̭͔̩̤π̗̠̯£̗> the portal exploded when I tried to go through. Help please?**

** _Message failed to deliver._ **

"No… Please no!" Herobrine whimpered, letting the device drop to the floor. He closed his eyes and went limp, then began to sob into the cold rock underneath him. The hermits had no way to reach him, the portal was gone. He doubted they would want to in the first place, since he'd caused so much trouble for them. Now they could go home, be happy, and they got rid of the problem at the same time.

It was almost funny just how he'd nearly convinced himself they liked having him around. Of course they didn't. _ Nobody _ wanted him around.

Herobrine's sobs had turned to crazed laughter, which then died away as exhaustion and pain took hold of him. He lay immobile, simultaneously feeling despondent, enraged, yet also completely numb. After all, what can he do? For one, his body was broken beyond repair, dooming him to a long, hungry and arduous healing process. And his mind was also broken; he'd felt the luxury of the life of a normal person, and it had been stripped from him, leaving nothing but the memories to tease him. And that may never heal, no matter what.

He didn't want to deal with this anymore. He just wanted it to end.

Maybe Notch was right.

Maybe he should just not exist.

\--

Doc thumped his hand against the portal frame in frustration and cursed under his breath.

"Of course. Of course. Universe can't give the guy any sort of break." His eye flicked around and came to rest on the ramshackle control terminal Cub was sitting at, and he stumbled over to it, shouldering Cub out of the way. He hunched over to type in something, then paused.

"Hey uh… anyone know where my glasses are?" He asked. X and Cub looked at each other and shrugged.

"I think I remember seeing something of the sort…Give me a minute." Cub announced before speeding away. Doc and X were left in an awkward silence for a minute before he returned and held the weird looking spectacles out to Doc, who took them and flicked the frame open before placing them on his face.

"My God, I can finally _ see _! It's been so long!" He exclaimed before flexing his fingers and leaning forward to begin typing.

"What are you doing?" Cub asked.

"Finding Herobrine. I'm not abandoning him, man! Never!" Doc answered. Xisuma went over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, you need to r-"

"I am NOT leaving him behind." Doc's tone had turned dangerous as he whipped his head around to glare at X, teeth bared. The sight sent a shiver down X's spine, and he backed away, before turning to the others. Harpy had come over to watch the scene, with Diana clutched in her arms.

"Couldn't save all of her then?" She asked, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat. Xisuma cringed while Diana just rolled her eyes.

"When we do die, often there is a little of how we died left on our body after respawning. Since Diana did not respawn for a long time…" He explained before sighing and lowering his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know how I can fix this…"

"Hey, it's fine, it's all good, at least it wasn't my arms." Diana shrugged. She frowned down at her legs, trying to will at least some twitch of life out of them. However, they remained as dead as ever; she couldn't even feel them. It was… weird.

"You really okay with not being able to walk?" Harpy asked.

"As long as you carry me everywhere." Diana grinned back, earning her an eyeroll and an unceremonious dump onto the grass. 

"Say, what happened to make you all clingy?"

"I…" Harpy looked away, not wanting to meet Diana's eye.

"I didn't know… that you were his daughter. He told me you were dead, that Herobrine had killed you years ago… then all that changed when…" She sighed and went silent. Diana blinked.

"Wow. I just assumed… Well. Huh. That explains a lot, then." She pursed her lips as the information sunk in. Harpy sat down beside her with a tired sigh, then laid down with a thump. X decided to sit down on the other side, keeping one eye trained on Doc.

"So where is he now?" Diana asked.

"Hopefully rotting in the void. I doubt it though. He'd made it so that he could respawn himself if he died. Sneaky bastard…" Harpy snorted.

"He was always hiding behind things to keep himself safe. His men, his armour, his dirty little tricks…" 

"The others seem better off without him. Speaking of the others, I should tell you what happened there. I mean, I'd take you but… You know." Diana laughed awkwardly. "Maybe I can give directions?"

"I can lead the way." Cub suddenly announced, making all three of them jump. Xisuma looked between Doc, Cub and Harpy, then nodded as he made a decision and got to his feet.

"We should all go. Have a bit of a rest before trying anything else. Doc, are you just going to stay here? You especially need time to recover." He asked with concern. "Maybe come with us for a while too?"

"Not yet." Was the only reply he got. With a sigh, he turned back to the trio, and followed after them as they began to make their way to the ex-hunter village.

And so Doc remained, still working long after everyone else had left. He would _ not _ leave a friend behind. _ Never. _

\--

_The Player had seen him._

_Despite what Notch had ordered, the Hero stayed in the area, observing this Player's actions. Every now and then, he would secretly help out with a task they found to be tedious. When they cut down trees for wood, they gave the remaining leaves a look of disgust. At that, He went in and got rid of the leaves himself, leaving the wood behind. When they got lost, skirting around the ocean desperately trying to find his base, he built a vantage point for them to see further from in the water, out of the way of the land. When they expressed their displeasure in having to go around large hills, he dug a tunnel through them. _

_He hoped the deeds were noticed. And they were._

_Except... The Player seemed scared._

_The Hero decided to try and reveal himself one day, however the thought of interacting with the Player... It made the inside of him feel tight. That feeling only increased when they first saw him._

_The Player had stopped, fearful of the sight. The Hero also froze, fear bubbling inside him. The chicken between them simply clucked as it wandered around. Between the two, the Hero moved first. However, he moved away. His own fear was too great. He couldn't meet them face to face._

_He simply continued helping from a distance._

He groaned slightly as he rose back to wakefulness. The foggy warm Alpha landscape was gone, replaced by cold dark icy cave. However, Herobrine wasn't even feeling the cold biting into his bones anymore. He had stopped keeping track of the time, instead drifting in and out of consciousness, waiting for the day he slipped away and never came back. He began to fall back into the darkness.

_His dodging around the Player continued. They spotted him a few more times, but his fear had gotten the better of him, and he left before they got any closer_. _It was getting frustrating. He wanted to meet them, but never could. His body acted on it's own._

_Over time, The Player also was getting scared. They were going nowhere. The Hero decided it was best to leave them be._

** _Why are you still here?_ **

With a dull rush of disappointment, his eyes opened once again, then blinked when an odd whooshing sound reached his ears. Herobrine lifted his head slightly to look for the source, and spotted a swirling purple vortex close by. Great, he was hallucinating too now. His head dropped and he closed his eyes, wanting to fade back into the blackness and hopefully never reemerge. 

_ **Why are you still here?** _

_The voice of Notch broke through the silence. The Hero halted, then shrugged._

_I'm lonely._

_ He admits. He didn't know if the word until now._

** _You aren't meant to be here._ **

_I know. I'm leaving them. _

_His chest hurt. Yet it wasn't physical pain. _

_Who is_ _ this?_

_The Hero jumped at the sound of another voice. A new voice._

** _A glitch. A stubborn one. If you can, try to get rid of_ ** _** it**._

_It doesn't seem harmful though?_

** _Bugs are meant to be fixed._ **

_The Hero felt eyes on him. He turned around, seeing two shadowy figures in the fog. _

_Okay... Are you sure this is not an intended feature? I'll see if I can..._

** _Do it. I do not want him with us any longer._ **

_Pain dug into him._

A sharp pang of hunger shot through his stomach, jerking him back from the edge of consciousness and making him groan slightly. There was no way to tell just how long it had been since he landed in the cave, but the increasing growling had indicated a few days had passed at least. The plip of a water drop echoed through the cavern, cutting over the grumbling from his stomach, along with the hallucinated sound of the portal which had still not ceased.

With another groan, he lifted his head again to stare into the hypnotic swirls, feeling a well of longing break open within him. As he watched, an armour clad arm emerged from the portal, then beckoned to him. Something deep inside drove him to get to his feet and struggle over to it. 

_ Why? It's not real. _

He still went to wistfully brush his fingers against the apparition. A fantasy, borne from the dream of having someone care about him. No one wanted him. Notch had told him that.

The ghostly fingers closed tightly around his hand.

Herobrine yelped in surprise and pain when the arm pulled back, dragging him into the shimmering purple. His head filled with staticy fog as he travelled millions of blocks in an instant, and he slumped onto the grass.

"Herobrine, my friend! Are you alright?" A familiar muffled voice asked. Herobrine did not answer, instead choosing to take deep breaths of the crisp air. Xisuma crouched down onto one knee before him, looking concerned for his well-being.

"You… came back for me…?" Herobrine whispered.

"Of course we did! Doc here refused to rest until you were safely home." X gestured to the cyborg, who was half slumped over a bank of controls and quivering with exhaustion. He grinned at Herobrine weakly.

"Hey man!" 

Herobrine blinked as tears started to well in his eyes. He slowly got to his feet, cringing as the broken edges of bone scraped against one another, but ignored it as he flung himself into Xisuma's arms. X flinched slightly, the circumstances of their last meeting not forgotten. But he quickly relaxed when he realised Herobrine was crying into his shoulder, and gently wrapped him in a hug.

"There there, it's okay. It's okay. You're welcome here, nothing will change that." X whispered while softly running his hand through his hair. Suddenly, Keralis appeared and threw his arms around both of them tightly, making Herobrine squeak.

"Herri! I missed you! I'm so glad you are back!" Herobrine looked around at Keralis, remembering the last time he saw those goofy bug eyes. They were slipping closed, as his friend bled out in his arms…

But Keralis was here, alive and overjoyed to be with him. 

But others…

"Hey Herobrine!"

His head whipped around to see Harpy standing with Diana cradled in her arms. She smiled warmly at him, looking tired but happy.

But… she…

"Oh yeah, uh, Sizuma managed to bring back Diana. Maybe we should have mentioned that before. Sorry man." Doc had stumbled his way over, just about choking out his sentence before 'accidentally' flopping into the small hug pile and toppling all of them to the floor.

"I'm glad to see you safe though!" He whispered before promptly passing out. Harpy also kneeled beside them, gently setting Diana down on the ground. Diana then shuffled over to join in, sighing quietly as Herobrine buried his face into X's chestpiece.

"We can explain more later."

A shout of "Heyguuuyy?" Floated down accompanied by the firing on a rocket, and Grian landed a short distance away while looking confused. His expression softened however when he saw who was in the middle of the pile, and he went over to sit down and ruffle Herobrine's hair a bit. 

"Hey buddy, glad to see you here." He looked at X with a raised eyebrow.

"Something happened to the portal on his end, he got stuck for a while. Doc here worked tirelessly to bring him home, but I guess he thought we'd abandoned him." X nodded to the sprawled cyborg, which Grian gulped at the state of. 

"He looks rough, but more importantly, we'd never abandon you, Hero!" With that, Grian leaned forward to also give Herobrine a hug, at least the best one he could manage with the awkward position they were all toppled into.

It was in the pile of hermits that it finally sunk in for Herobrine. These people loved him and accepted him. They wanted him around, no matter what. If he fireballed a few of them, they didn't care. Accidents happen between them all the time. 

This was a place he could finally be wanted. Accepted. _Free_. 

He has found a new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it.
> 
> I DID IT!
> 
> I FINISHED A THING!
> 
> *Falls unconscious*
> 
> I actually managed to complete this story, and hoo boi that was a ride and a half. No plans for the story, no storyboarding, just writing, and it's done.
> 
> N...now what...
> 
> Well, the Hermitbrine universe isn't done, I have plans for a few one shots or mini sequels, as well as a good amount of angst of course ;). Plus, I would also like to invite you guys to also do other works, be it art, fictions or other media, using the concept of Herobrine and Hermitcraft.  
Anyway, I'm hoping to see you soon with new things o/ 
> 
> -Sycon, procastinstor extrordinaire.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Heroes of Old](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27130621) by [SannahOfSkva](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SannahOfSkva/pseuds/SannahOfSkva)


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